Collide Heero's POV
by Haliaetus
Summary: They're born to save the world, but there's no manual. Plus, with all the opposites in the group, friction is sure to arise, but they do say that opposites attract…though these boys are bound to set all rules and preconceptions on their ears. On hiatus.
1. Prologue

Title: Collide (Heero)

Author: Haliaetus

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now . . XD

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters. Major use/misuse of artistic license.

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child (link in my Fav. Authors). I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.)

* * *

Prologue

_There was silence, but it wasn't the silence where nothing is. It was the silence of everything at rest. Our job was done and, for another fifty years, there would be peace, of a kind, for the world. Ashes blow by in the silent wind, remnants of the fire. There was a saying I'd heard once. You've got to burn to rebuild. Maybe that was what we'd done. Maybe not. Either way, it was over and we were the ones left to live with the consequences of our actions. Until the cycle repeats once again and we are given the chance to mend the fractures we caused. For now, we had cast off the shackles that had kept us captive, we had spread our wings and flown the coop, free as air. Yet somehow we were just as trapped as before. There was a difference, but I knew I wouldn't see it for a while to come. That was okay by me, though. There are other things that needed more immediate attention. I remember words, a promise, a vow. We had burned. Now it was time to rebuild. My right hand is suddenly claimed by a foreign one, though not so strange as it would seem. A sharp glance and I relax. Just him. I smile. It's not something that I have had practice doing and I doubt anyone but him would recognize it for what it is, but it is a smile. My gaze slides back to the visage in front of us. It's empty now. We're done here. It's time to go home._

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When it all began, I don't know. The doctor says it started when the world did. I wasn't around then, so I don't know. I do know that I am part of the next cycle, one of the heirs to this responsibility.

I didn't always know what I was, what I had been born to do. For the first seven years of my life, I lived with a man named Odin Lowe. He wasn't my father, but he might as well have been, what with all he taught me about life. I had only the barest memory of a comforting presence to tell me that I had had parents at one point.

That didn't matter any more, though. He had died in the winter of my tenth year and I had been taken in by a man named Doctor J. Whether that was his real name or just a codename, I was never told, but it was who he was.

He told me that I had special powers that I had been given to defend earth at her time of peril. That he was the one who would teach me about my destiny. My training began almost immediately as I learned to use this strange power just recently discovered.

The years passed quickly and I came to understand that it was a never-ending cycle, of which I was just one small part. It became my life, my everything. All I did was aimed towards the eventual day when I would have to fight to protect the world that was my home. I did everything I could to ensure that I would be ready.

That day came when I was seventeen. Doctor J announced that I would be sent somewhere to join up with the others that shared my destiny. I trained harder than ever, anxious for it to come.

I was ready for whatever was dished against me.

* * *

A/N: Okay. As previously stated up above, this is a fic done in tandem with a friend of mine (Pathetic Otaku Child, look her up) and so, if you want the story from Duo's POV instead of Heero's, go look at her profile/jazzy stuff. You may note (if you possess such amazing observation skills) that the intro (the italics part) is very similar to hers. This is because I used hers to write mine. Same with the little info blurb before the actual story. Woohoo. It's so special, you should go read it again. And laugh at Mr. Darlian, Une, Dorothy and Relena 'cause they're the meanies in this story.

Adios for now...

Haliaetus


	2. The Institution

Title: Collide (Heero)

Author: Haliaetus

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now . . XD

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters. Major use/misuse of artistic license.

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child (link in my Fav. Authors). I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.)

* * *

Chapter 1: The Institution

Blocking the downward slice aimed at my shoulder with a well-timed backhand, I shot the other hand forward to freeze another opponent.

Literally. Ice formed from the feet and crept up the man's legs, restricting movement drastically. Half-formed curses made their presence known as the hard substance made its way up to the neck and out along the arms, firmly encasing the whole body in the icy embrace.

Two opponents out of commission, I turned like lightning as another two tried for a coordinated attack from my blind spots. Too bad for them that the ice made a nice reflective surface. Not as good as a mirror, but it served. Well-placed patches of ice slipped them up before they got within distance to do any harm and I stood barely two feet from where I'd first begun the exercise, less than five minutes ago.

Hardly breathing any harder than normal, I glanced up at the tinted window that separated the exercise room from the control room and observation deck. There were people behind that glass, watching me, but I couldn't see them through the darkened glass between us.

"Excellent." The voice that spoke through the intercom system was a familiar one. I'd known that voice for seven years now, ever since the owner had taken me in after the death of my previous guardian. "Please uncase the poor man and wait for us in the briefing room, Heero." The intercom clicked off and I turned his attention away from the window to follow the orders.

Two minutes later, I was standing at attention before the man who'd spoken and two others, unfamiliar faces that put me on edge, simply because they were unfamiliar. It took quite a bit of control to pretend not to notice the way one of them was looking me over a bit...well, a leer was the only way I could think of to describe his expression. The others didn't seem to notice at all, so I concentrated on the first man's face, waiting for him to speak.

"Well, Heero, that was a fantastic display out there." The man said, speaking around the long stick of licorice that was stuck in the corner of his mouth. Past that small indicator of an average man was the appearance and intense personality that formed Doctor J, a man known the world over for his engineering prowess.

"Indeed." The speaker was the man who was looking me over like a prize horse being sold. "I'm told that these…ah…_powers_ are natural and not simply enhancements?" He sounded like he was talking about the pedigree of said horse and looked like he'd rather be inspecting said horse himself.

The doctor nodded, his thick white mustache bobbing as he did so. "Yes, yes! It really is something of a mystery, since there really is nothing in the human genetic code to indicate such a mutation being even remotely possible."

I didn't bat an eyelash at the doctor's use of biochemistry; we'd been over this scenario in several different ways, so I'd been prepared for just about everything. What the doctor was saying was all a rather complex lie that—if played correctly—would secure a spot for me at an institution that Doctor J wanted to send me to. For my "advancement and education in other circles, since there is so very little we can actually do here," as the doctor had put it.

The third man nodded slowly. "Quite. You are determined to have him at the Institution, then?" The way he said 'Institution' made it clear that it was spelt with a capital. The doctor nodded again, fiddling with the large round glasses he wore.

"If at all possible. I know from experience and have heard from colleagues that it is most definitely the best place on the globe to send someone like Heero to further develop his, ah, unique abilities. What do you gentlemen say? Hm?"

I was once again the subject of close scrutiny. Silence filled the space for a long moment, then one of the two sighed. "Doctor J, you do realize that if this little incident were known to anyone outside our organization that you would be overrun by the media before you could say 'mutant'?" He didn't wait for an answer, but continued talking. "Still, I'm sure we can arrange for him to join the boys in time for the new term." The doctor beamed at the man as the other took up the thread.

"Term begins on March 1st." He said shortly, obviously wanting to be out of this place, despite the potential I clearly held. "We will be in contact for the next few weeks as we arrange everything with the authorities at the Institution. We will return to pick him up on February 28th."

"Very well." Doctor J was looking like he was ready to start dancing, he was so excited. I held back a snort that the doctor was so unrestrained, proving my point in silence.

The men were escorted out, but I remained in the briefing room until the doctor returned, a more serious look on his face. Running a hand through his wild hair, white with age, he pinned me with a rather intense stare.

"Well, Heero, it's time," he said softly. "We've set the events rolling and things will either go downhill or they'll happen like they should. You know what you have to do?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do. There will be no problem on my end." I hesitated. "The others _will_ be at the Institution, right?"

Doctor J nodded. "Yes. Or, at least, we hope they all will be."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, frowning slightly. Doctor J sat down in one of the padded chairs that occupied the room.

"Well, we only have four of the five that we need."

"There are five? Where is he?" I questioned, a more alarmed look passing over my face for a brief instant. This was news to me.

"We don't know. I haven't heard from Professor G in a week or so, so I really have no idea and neither do any of the others. We'll just have to hope that the boy is found in time."

I didn't reply. I studied a point between me and the surface of the long table that also inhabited the room for a long moment. Finally, I nodded. "It should be fine. It all worked out last time and I'm sure that this time is no different."

"I hope you're right, boy," the doctor murmured. "I hope you're right."

--------------

Several weeks later, I stepped out of the long, black limo to get my first real look at the Institution.

I had done some research about the place (mostly questions I asked Doctor J, since the internet didn't produce any results) and had found out that the place's full name was the Darlian-Peacecraft Institution of Higher Learning. Quite the mouthful, really. It was a school where people who had special abilities (the psychic ones that came of either slight genetic manipulation or mutation, those with higher intelligence than the average person and those who fell under the category of 'others') came to learn more about those abilities, how to use them as well as get an excellent education. Fees were nonexistent; admission required the recommendation of certain people. Apparently, the two guys who had come that day several weeks ago had been there to give me a recommendation, which was why I was here now.

The school itself was fairly impressive. Located in the mountains of the western United States, the air crisp with the chill that stayed in the air in the early spring though the valley below was still blanketed in white. Snow could be seen on the nearby mountains, though none was near the school. The buildings were the traditional brick and ivy style that was popular on the other side of the nation, though they didn't look out of place here. One was the main building, for classes presumably. Two others were dorms, one for guys and the other for girls. A fourth building could be seen past the others, though its purpose was unclear.

The chauffer had finished unloading my luggage (really not that much) and was standing by as a small delegation came to greet me. Two were the men I had seen before, the two who had recommended me, and a third man was obviously someone important, if the way the others deferred to him was any indication. The lady who also walked with them looked strict and haughty, with her dark hair pulled back into a strict bun and narrow glasses that sat on the end of her hawk like nose.

"Mr. Heero Yuy?" The unknown man said as they approached. I nodded and he smiled at me. "I'm Headmaster Darlian. This is the Student Director, Ms. Une. These are the esteemed patrons of the Institution, Mr. Treize Khushrenada and Brigadier General Septim. It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Institution. If you will follow Ms. Une, she will get you settled in the dorm with the other boys."

I nodded again and he smiled again. Ms. Une sniffed at me and turned towards one of the dorm buildings, apparently wanting me to follow her. The chauffer picked up my bags and went with us as we followed her into the building.

Inside, there were several boys entertaining themselves with the game tables (pool and air hockey) and a few were sitting in comfortable chairs, reading. None of them looked anything but average, but I knew that there was a reason they were here. We went past them, through the main common room and up a flight of stairs to the next floor.

My room turned out to be a double, with two beds, desks and bureaus. There was no sign of any other occupant, though and Une explained this before I could ask.

"The other boy who is rooming with you has not arrived yet, so you will have the room to yourself until he does. Dinner is at 6:30 sharp. Until then, you are free to do what you wish as long as you stay on the school grounds." Then, without so much as a goodbye, she turned on her heel and left, leaving me to unpack by myself after the chauffer deposited my bags on the floor.

Sighing, I got to work putting my clothes and other personal effects into one of the bureaus. My laptop was set onto the desk next to my bed, as were the few books I had brought with me. Other than that, I really had nothing else that I had brought.

Unpacking took me all of about ten minutes.

I still had three hours until dinner.

Finding a blueprint of the school on the computer, now that I was here, was extremely easy.

I still had two hours and fifty-seven minutes.

Maybe some of the others were here already. It was worth it to search myself if it would pass more time.

The common room hadn't changed except that more boys had joined the few at the pool table. I scanned the room, looking for a familiar face. It took me a moment, but finally, I found one. Slipping around a chair and skirting the pool table, I tapped the shoulder of a boy standing next to a bookcase.

"Chang." The boy didn't seem surprised as he turned to face me, but then, we were alike in that aspect, keeping our emotions behind a mask.

"Yuy. I did not expect to find you so quickly. Did you arrive today?" He asked, a slightly quizzical look crossing his face. I nodded.

"Yes." I glanced around at the boys around me. "Could I possibly talk to you up in my room?"

He nodded and followed me up the stairs and into my room. Once in the privacy of the room, away from prying ears, I turned to look at Chang.

Chang Wufei was a boy of Chinese descent, a year younger than I, with black hair and eyes. In the same manner that I had power over water and ice, he had power over fire. I suppose you could call him my opposite, but we actually got along fairly well, for all that we rarely saw each other except for a few times a year when we got together with the others to train together for a few days.

"I don't suppose your doctor said anything about the fifth guy, did he?" I asked, getting right to the point of my asking him up to my room. Wufei frowned.

"There are five of us? I thought there were only four." His voice held the same confusion that I had had when I had first heard that there was another.

"I know. That's what I thought before Doctor J said they couldn't find the fifth. I was thinking that maybe you knew something."

"No, I don't. Have you talked to Barton or Winner?"

"I haven't seen them yet. Are they here?" I asked, honestly curious. I didn't interact with the others very much, about the same as with Wufei, but I considered them friends. At least, as much as I could with the way I was. They were the only other people I knew besides the doctors, after all.

"I've seen Winner, but I don't think Barton has arrived yet."

"Ah. I see. Let's go find Winner, then." I suggested. Wufei agreed and we left my room to find Quatre Winner, who had power over light/life.

Trowa Barton arrived the next day, completing the quartet with earth. Neither he nor Quatre knew about the fifth part of the supposed team. It wasn't until the evening of the 29th that I received confirmation from Doctor J that they had found the last guy. The message said that only he'd arrive early the next day before classes started and I would know him when I saw him.


	3. Duo Maxwell

Title: Collide (Heero)

Author: Haliaetus

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters. Major use/misuse of artistic license.

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child. I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.) And so the saga continues...past episode one...Sorry. Just read now.

* * *

Chapter 2: Duo Maxwell

I was in the common room, playing chess with another boy I had met named Weston before our first day of classes, when he arrived. Returning from getting drinks, I saw the commotion outside and stayed standing to watch.

Two men in black, much like the security guards I had seen around the campus, frog-marched a boy into the dorm. His arms were tied behind his back, there were straps restraining his leg movement and a gag was firmly in place around his mouth. His eyes seemed to say all he needed to, though. They were a deep violet in color, unlike any I'd ever seen, and were quite clearly asking, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! What the hell is going on here, where am I and what the hell do you bastards want?!"

Ms. Une came in from the other room where she'd been talking to someone and I turned away, guessing that it was a new student. My attention was forcibly returned to the situation when she called my name. I took a brief second to compose my face into a mask of apathy before turning around to face her and the new student again.

I walked over to where I was within easy conversation distance, the words of Doctor J's message running through my mind. '_You'll know him when you see him_…' Yeah, this was probably him and if I was being called over by Ms. Une, he was probably my roommate as well. Great. I noticed he had long hair, a dark chestnut color that the light reflected nicely off of. Even greater. Not only was I stuck with someone they deemed worthy of restraints as my roommate, he'd probably be the most vain little prick ever.

My thoughts were private, though, not on display through my expressions. Nor through my voice. "A pleasure to meet you…?" I paused, not having caught his name when Ms. Une had first greeted him.

She supplied it quickly. "Duo Maxwell."

"Maxwell." I finished. "I'm Heero Yuy." I didn't add anything more, nor did I let my attention stray to the rather obvious restraints currently decorating his person. Ms. Une continued to talk, but I barely heard her. I did catch the last bit though, like last time.

"If you would follow Mr. Yuy…?"

The new kid certainly wasn't short on balls. He glared at her before turning that scathing gaze on the two men still holding him by the arms. Returning his eyes to Ms. Une, he gave her an expression that more than made up for his lack of a verbal response.

"_And you expect me to do this…how?"_ It almost amused me. Perhaps he wouldn't be such a bad roommate after all.

The Student Director blinked, as if she'd forgotten about the men's presence. A quick wave of her hand dismissed them, but left the restraints. I hid my annoyance. Here was not a good place to take them off. There were just too many people around watching for my comfort.

Seeing that he was at least momentarily resigned to whatever happened, I indicated the stairs silently with a nod and headed towards them, ignoring the glare that was leveled at my back.

I waited for him at the top of the stairs. It wasn't me being polite or any shit like that; I just wanted to make sure he knew how it was before we got to my—our—room. When he finally gained the landing, I made a gesture for him to turn around. He did so, but reluctantly, obviously a bit confused. Ignoring him, I studied the knot that held his arms in place.

"Sorry I couldn't take these off downstairs," was all I said on the matter, hoping he could fill in the blanks. A few tugs in the right spots took care of his arms, so I bent to release his legs, which were in a similar bind. How the hell had he made it up the stairs?

His gag was the last thing I removed, but I immediately realized that it had been a rather good idea to have it on. He had taken a deep breath, as if to begin a tirade that would shake the earth down to its foundations. I clapped my hand over his mouth before he could begin.

"Not. Here." I ground out, willing him to be quiet. "Wait a minute and I'll explain more fully in our room."

I caught the look in his eyes, but removed my hand when I was sure he would obey. When I turned to continue down the hall, there was a pause before I heard his footsteps follow.

Good. Maybe he wouldn't be a total liability in this thing.

----------------

Once inside the dorm room, I turned and gave him a once-over. If he was to be a part of this team, he would need to be able to keep up with the rest of us, at least physically if not mentally, though I was fairly certain he was quite intelligent.

The hair, I decided, was probably going to be the most troublesome part. If left loose like it was, it would prove a hindrance if (when) we fought. Wufei at least kept his hair pulled back in a ponytail that left his vision unobstructed. Perhaps we could find a similar arrangement, if cutting it off was decided against.

But that could be dealt with later, once I'd established where we stood with the newcomer. For now…

"Did you have any stuff?" I asked abruptly, suddenly realizing the lack of any accessories. Nothing had been brought in…

"Are you blind as well as spoiled?" Was the sharp retort. I blinked in surprise at the bitterness in that statement. Then his words caught up to me and I scowled.

"What makes you think I'm spoiled?" I demanded, one hand starting to curl into a fist. He narrowed those stunning violet eyes at me, anger burning in their depths.

"You think I'm stupid?" He hissed. "This place is way too ritzy for any but the obscenely rich to get into. There's no way anyone else would get anywhere close."

My anger faded as I realized what he was talking about, but it took quite a bit of effort to relax my hand. I even managed a slightly amused expression. It caught Duo off guard and I saw the sudden change in the tension that lined his shoulders.

"You think this is some private rich kids academy?" I asked, keeping my voice at a neutral tone. I couldn't afford to get in a fight this early in the game and this guy needed to get a handle on what was going on.

Duo looked even more confused. "I, uh…yeah." He said in a 'well, duh' voice. "What else would it be?"

I sighed; there was just too much he obviously didn't understand and no time to explain any of it. "Well, you were fairly close. You're at the Darlian-Peacecraft Institution of Higher Learning." _That_ seemed to ring a bell, at least, since his eyes widened in surprise.

"What the fuck am I doing here?!" He screeched. "I'm not one of those crazy mutants!"

I rubbed at one temple; I was starting to get a headache. Just then a bell rang somewhere and I took a second to remember what that meant. Then it hit me and I headed out the door, grabbing Duo as I went. We were halfway down the hall before his mind managed to catch up to his physical body.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I didn't even glance at him as I pulled him down the stairs and out of the dorm.

"Classes are starting, smart ass!"

------------------

My first class was Mathematics. Duo had History with Quatre and Trowa, so I pushed him at the open door further down the hall (also towards the other two boys) before slipping into my own class.

Thankfully, Wufei was in that class, so I sank into the seat next to him with a small sigh of relief at having beat the bell. The Chinese boy glanced at me, slightly amused.

"What took you so long?" He asked casually, not even looking at me. I ran a hand through my already messy brown hair.

"The fifth showed up this morning and I had to clear something up before we came over, but then the bell rang." I said shortly. That caught his attention and he turned away from the board to look at me.

"The fifth? They found him?"

"Yeah. A couple of the security guards brought him in bound and gagged. It'll be a hell of a trip getting him to understand everything. Fuck, he thought this was one of those damn rich kid schools." Wufei nodded in understanding.

"That doesn't sound promising. You sure it's him?" My headache was starting to get stronger.

"About as sure as I am of anything else right now. J's message said he would arrive this morning and he's the only one who did, so I'm assuming it's him. If it's not, though, I'm going to tear J a new one." I growled. A small smile graced Wufei's face.

"That is one way to deal with it," was all he said. Then the teacher came in and we had to pay attention.

My next class was Geography. Amazingly enough, we all had it at the same time, so the original four of us sat together automatically, seeking the strength numbers gave us. Duo was almost late, but when he did come in, he immediately caught sight of us and made a beeline for the chair we had left empty between me and Trowa.

"Damn, but that teacher is a dickwad." He muttered, a scowl clouding his features. "Held me after to talk about my _hair_, of all things! You sure I'm not at some richie academy?"

That last bit was directed at me and I glanced at him, but he was staring intensely at a bit of hair that he was holding between two fingers. "Positive. We'll explain everything after classes."

"We?" Violet eyes locked on mine. "Who's this 'we'?"

I looked pointedly past him to Trowa, Quatre and Wufei. He followed my gaze almost hesitantly. Upon seeing the smile Quatre cast in his direction, though, Duo relaxed a bit and turned back to me.

"You'll explain after classes?" He sounded anxious for some reason.

I nodded. "Promise. Now shut up."

History was me next class, but no one else I knew was in that class, so I sat alone. Then it was Specials, which was held in the fourth building I had noticed on the first day.

Entering, I found myself in a large gym-like room. The floor was padded, as were the walls until halfway up. Bleachers were up against one wall and I saw Wufei and Duo sitting on them, so I joined them.

I wasn't given a chance to talk to them, though, as the teacher arrived just then and the entire class was focused on him.

He was completely different from the other teachers and not just in appearance, though the long platinum blond hair and sky blue eyes were a refreshing change. It was the way he held himself, as if he knew without a doubt that everyone's attention would be on him no matter what. The other teachers had been rather, well, apathetic towards how the class reacted. Duo had even gotten away with sleeping through part of Geography before I woke him up.

He stood for a moment in front of the students seated on the bleachers, not saying anything as he looked us over. Someone—probably a little nervous with the tension in the air—whispered something to her neighbor. The teacher heard (well, we all did; the acoustics in that room were astounding) and he speared the girl with a hard stare just before he disappeared.

The class sat silent for a moment, shocked, then they all started talking at once, making a deafening din. Although I was a little surprised at the show, I quickly started looking for where he had gone, as did Wufei.

I found him behind us, at the top of the bleachers and leaning against the wall, smirking slightly. He let the class chatter for another minute or so before drawing attention to himself by speaking.

"I am what is called a teleport." He said. Everyone turned to look up at him and he started down to the ground level the physical way. "That means I can transport myself, other objects, and other people with my mind alone, without touching them. Several of you probably have talents similar to mine. This class is Specials. It is where you will learn how to use and control the abilities that got you in this school. Some of you may have already been taught some of this, but I assure you that what we are doing here is much more intensive and thorough than anything you will find outside."

Beside me, Duo muttered something that sounded a lot like, "And if we _aren't_ one of your precious little mutants?" I chose to ignore him, knowing that he wouldn't be here if the doctors weren't sure that he was like the rest of us. Briefly, though, I _did_ wonder what power he had.

The blond man continued to talk. "My name is Zechs Merquise. Call me Zechs. I will be the main instructor, though we have others to help with specific talents. This first day, we will simply be reviewing the different types, figuring out what each of you are, and setting the basis of what your presence here means. We'll begin with the teeks—those with mind powers."

* * *

A/N: And enter Zechs from backstage. Literally. Anyway, some of you (Those who have read my other stories, which you should do anyway) may have noted that this is the first story I've written with this level of language in it. Although it's a little different for me, I do have a rather good grasp of the slang talk though I do not partake in it myself out loud. This will probably be the most you'll get out of me. Seriously. I don't swear. I just don't. There are plenty of other words that can be substituted for the bad ones that get the point across just as well.

Anyway, sorry for the delay. I've had band camp and other stuff, but here it is. Hope you enjoyed it!

Haliaetus


	4. Here's The Deal

Title: Collide (Heero)

Author: Haliaetus

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters.

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child. I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.)

Chapter 3: Here's the Deal…

By the end of Specials, I was about ready to just toss Maxwell to the dogs and let him fend for himself in the school. Zechs had just paused to begin the lesson when the long-haired boy had stood up and said, "Yeah? Well, what if I don't fucking belong here? I'm not a teek, or anything like that. If you can just give a lift to the nearest town, I'd be happy enough to leave." Shocked and appropriately worried, Wufei and I tried to tug him back down into his seat unobtrusively, though he resisted and remained standing.

Zechs looked faintly confused and frowned slightly before replying. "Well, I know you have something. Just sit tight and I'll get to you later. For now, I would like for all those who have already been tested to get into their respectful groups." With one last scan of the three of us, he turned to deal with the students who had already grouped themselves.

Beside me, Maxwell didn't seem too happy, if the scowl was to be believed. Finally giving in to our insistent tugs, he sat down huffily, still glaring at Zechs. Apparently deciding that there was nothing more he could do about the matter for now, he glanced at Wufei and I. "So…what now?"

Wufei leaned back casually, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, but I could see the faint lines of tension in his shoulder and back that betrayed his inner turmoil at Maxwell's demonstration. "We wait for him to come and say that he can't tell what we are."

Maxwell spent a moment staring at Wufei, apparently nonplussed by the Chinese boy's answer. Turning to me with an expression that clearly hoped I would be more forthcoming, he asked, "Is he serious? What the hell is wrong with you guys anyway?"

I didn't reply for a few moments, opting instead to watch as Zechs went from group to group on the gym floor, helping the students with a few things. "I said that everything will be explained. And it will. Later. You have to trust us for now."

"Oh, yeah. I'm just gonna sit here and _trust_," I glanced at him as he snorted, "some people who I'm definitely thinking had something to do with my goddamn kidnapping. Sure, all right, whatever you say. Ya want fries with that?" Catching the glare he sent my way as I turned away again, I frowned right back. "Bloody Fucking NO! Like Hell! I seriously recommend that you guys take me right back where you found me." He had started out whispering, but now his voice was growing louder with thinly veiled panic. "I'll have you know that I killed a couple of those damn goons you sent to take me. Do NOT get on my bad side, I'm warning you."

I think the reaction was rather instinctive, but both Wufei and I had been focused intensely on Maxwell since he began his little rant and as soon as his hand shot down to where I could see the outline of a knife through his pants, we secured his arms. As soon as I was sure he wasn't going to try and break away, I turned my attention briefly away to see if anyone else had noticed. No one had, so I silently sighed in relief and turned back to Maxwell.

"Calm down you idiot." I hissed, still wanting to avoid undue attention. Maxwell took several deep breaths and visibly forced himself to relax a bit more. Almost as soon as the enraged trembling I could feel in his arms stopped, he opened his eyes (he'd closed them to help calm himself down) and leveled a glare at me that I remembered from this morning as having been directed at Ms. Une.

"Get. Your. God. Fucking. Damn. Hands. Off. Me." He growled through clenched teeth, apparently not as relaxed as he appeared to be. Still, I complied and Wufei followed my example, though he didn't even give the appearance of being relaxed anymore. Maxwell immediately curled in on himself and seemed to withdraw into some place inside.

Zechs finished with the other students a moment after that and came up the bleachers to face us a level down, crossing his arms as he looked at each of us in turn. "You three…" he muttered, half to himself. "You three are a conundrum. I usually can read people very well, but… You seem different. Same as those other two, last hour. Barton and Winner. I also was unable to get any readings from them. I know you lot have something, but as to what…."

A quick glance at Wufei and Maxwell told me that neither of them were prepared to give an answer, so I quickly spoke up. "Would you be able to let us work on it privately during class, sir? That way you have more time to work with the other students." Honestly, it would be better for all around if we weren't with the other students while practicing our powers.

The teacher seemed to think the possibility over for a long moment before nodding slowly. "That would be fine. As long as you let me see what you've been learning every once in a while. There's another gym connected to this one. You can use that. Or the smaller one just outside." Wufei and I nodded and the Chinese boy mumbled something about class ending, so we headed for the doors.

Wufei glanced at me and I gave him a quick nod behind Maxwell's back. He nodded back before speaking. "I can use the smaller gym," he offered. "I tend to get a little….destructive. You probably won't want to be in the same room. And I have history next, so I'll see you later." I nodded shortly and the Chinese boy headed off and I dragged Maxwell after me to our next class, Arts.

"Okay, big guy. What's the big idea? Where the hell are we headed? To the nearest closet so can have your nasty way with me? Or behind the wood shed so you can chop me into itty bitty Duo pieces?" He asked after a moment. I turned one of my glares on him before smirking as a thought occurred to me.

"The Arts Class. Those come later." I left him to figure out what I meant as I pulled ahead, dropping the arm that I had had a death hold on. Just then, we arrived at the classroom and I decided to concentrate on the stuff being taught.

As it turned out, the Arts included everything from sculpting to writing biographies of famous deceased guys. Which allowed for quite a bit of leeway regarding what we got to study; it was a student driven curriculum where you got to choose what you studied. Scanning the paper we'd been given with the different subjects, I snuck a glance at the long-haired boy next to me.

Maxwell was slumped down on his desk, chin on his arms. He was still probably a bit disoriented what with all that had happened. Not that I blamed him. He had every right to be pissed at the world in general. I was tempted to start enlightening him right then and there, but I held back, knowing the others would be mad that they weren't included in that discussion. Besides, I'd probably need damage control from what I'd seen of Maxwell's reactions so far.

At some point, I think he fell asleep, his face tilted slightly towards me. Although I was working on my first assignment, a diagnostic essay on the effect Abraham Lincoln would have had on America if he hadn't been assassinated, I found my eyes straying to his face more and more often.

He didn't look half bad when he wasn't mouthing off at something or other, I decided. In fact, with his mouth closed, he looked almost innocent. Quickly pushing _that_ image out of my mind before it could take hold, I forced my concentration back to the essay.

The essay was finished by the end of class, but it was a close call what with the amount of time I spent simply sitting there, staring at Maxwell. He woke when the bell rang to signal the end of class, but he wasn't really awake as he followed me back to the dorm.

Along the way, I caught sight of Quatre and Trowa, also heading back to the dorm. Signaling them to wait for me, I turned to look at Maxwell. "Go on back to the room and wait there. I'll be up in a moment with the others." He nodded and started off. Then he seemed to realize what I'd said and stopped abruptly, turning to give me an odd look.

"You said you'd tell me what the hell is going on here." He accused. I sighed.

"Yes, I did and I will. Just not right this instant. I'm going to get the other guys and then we'll all explain things. Okay?" Apparently satisfied with my answer, he nodded and continued on to the dorm. I made sure he went in before going over to join Quatre and Trowa.

The blond Arab smiled at me as I approached. "How was your first day, Heero?" Quatre asked, honest curiosity emanating from him in waves. I twitched my lips into what passed as a smile for me before answering.

"It was fine. Could you two come up to my room in about ten minutes? I have to go find Wufei and then we need to explain things to Maxwell." Trowa raised his visible eyebrow at the mention of the fifth boy.

"So he's here." The tall brunette didn't intend it as a question, but I nodded anyway. Quatre also nodded.

"Yeah. He was in our History class first period. Remember, Trowa? He didn't know the events leading up to WWII."

Trowa frowned. "Oh, right. Whatever. We'll be there. I saw Wufei over by the library just after class, so he's probably still there."

"Thank you. See you in a few." I excused myself and headed for the library, in the main building. Wufei was indeed there, looking at a book on the history of the Revolutionary war nonetheless, but he came when I told him what we were doing.

"How much have you told him?" He asked as we crossed the courtyard in between the four buildings.

"Not much." I admitted. "I was waiting for when we could all be there to help explain, especially since he hasn't taken the rest of this very well." Wufei nodded, seeing the wisdom in that.

We were silent the rest of the way to my room. I was lost in my thoughts of trying to figure out a way to present the situation without too explosive of a reaction from Maxwell. Being blunt would get the point across, but that would probably simply get my head figuratively ripped off in the reaction. Maxwell probably wouldn't settle for anything subtle, either, if his demands to know what was going on were any indication.

Then we were at the door to my room and I wasn't given any more time to think. Steeling myself mentally, I opened the door and ushered Wufei in before me. Closing the—regrettably thin—piece of wood behind me, I looked around the room, taking stock of where things were.

Trowa and Quatre were already there, the blonde sitting on my bed and the taller boy leaning against the wall nearby with his arms crossed. Maxwell was reclining in his own bed, casting occasional glances towards the other two occupants of the room until he caught sight of Wufei and I.

"What took you so long?" He demanded without moving from his position on the bed. "I was about ready to send out a rescue team to search for you."

Well, if he could keep a handle on his sense of humor, odd though it might be, I just might be able to get through this explanation with all digits and limbs intact. I sighed, indicated that Quatre should scoot over and took a seat on the edge of my bed, facing Maxwell.

"You said you wanted to know why you were…"

"Kidnapped," Maxwell supplied when I faltered at using the term. He grinned grimly at whatever expression I showed. "Say it like it is, Yuy. I've probably heard worse."

"Why you were kidnapped, then." I amended, still uncomfortable with the wording. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Hmm…How 'bout at the beginning? That's usually where things start, isn't it?" He drawled, closing one eye in what was obviously an effort to show me that he could care less where I started. I resisted the urge to rub at my temple to relieve the slight headache I could feel building.

"The beginning." I repeated, trying to get my thoughts in order. Finally, I lighted on a possible opening, so I took a deep breath to begin. "I don't know about the very beginning. I've been told that it's as old as the world is, possibly even older. I don't know. I will tell you what I've been told, what I've found on my own and what I have experience personally. None of us can do any better than that." Maxwell's expression hadn't changed, but there was a slight tension in his posture that said he was very attentive to what I was saying.

"It happens every fifty years without fail. A great power is brought into this world, seeking to harm it. How it is manifested is never clear or consistent. It could be a world leader, a revolution, a virus, anything at all. Something of such magnitude that, if left to spread unchecked, would bring the world to its knees." I paused, unused to saying so much at one time; my years with the quiet and taciturn doctor had influence me in more than one way. Still, I continued, knowing that I could ask for one of the others to take up the tale if it grew uncomfortable for me.

"At the same time, an equal force is born into the world to oppose this power. Five," I had to amend what I had always assumed; there were five, not four, "children are born with powers that echo that of nature.

"Water." I produced an ice dagger that balanced between my fingertips almost precariously.

"Fire." Flames crackled into existence around Wufei's hands, giving off harsh light and some heat.

"Earth." The ivy on the wall outside reached in through the now open window to curl around Trowa.

"Life and light." Quatre seemed to glow with a soft light that put the sun- and fire-light to shame and filled the room with a warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature.

It all disappeared abruptly as I continued to talk. "These are the four that we have so far this time around. The men who found us and have taught us how to use our powers were the ones who had them fifty years ago. We have all trained since we were young to prepare for the time when the evil would come into the world yet again. We have trained to fight, to defend our home. It is why we are here, it is why you are here. Do you understand?"

There was a moment of silence, then Maxwell finally reacted, sitting up on his bed and looking at each us, myself last. "You have got to be shitting me." He said flatly.

"There's no such thing as magic, or destiny or whatever else you're spouting off." He continued before any of us could respond. "You all must be smoking something if you think I'm gonna believe all that shit you just tried to feed me. Though, how did you do those cool illusions? That might come in handy someday…" He trailed off as he caught the looks on our faces. "Or not. That works too."

"They're not illusions." Wufei's voice. Much colder than I had ever heard it. We all turned to look at him in surprise. "If you think they are illusions, then you have been living with your head in a rock all your life. Surely even you can tell what's true and what's not." I frowned at the amount of scorn in the younger boy's voice. Surely that hadn't been called for.

Maxwell looked astounded, as if someone had just told him the grass was pink and the sky was yellow. "But…it's impossible!" He seemed desperate to prove it untrue. I frowned and the ice dagger flickered again between my fingers.

"Care to test that belief? I'm prepared to bet that this ice will hurt just as much as a real dagger would." I said, my voice carefully controlled to be just as icy as the dagger.

The flinch was probably involuntary, I decided, but the glare that followed it definitely wasn't.

"You wouldn't!" He retorted hotly, but I could see that he was shaken more than he'd admit. He knew what a real dagger felt like, I'd bet, if that display in Specials earlier had been any indication of his life up to now. I refused to let my expression change, however.

"He would." Trowa's voice was calm, almost emotionless, but it startled me; the green-eyed boy rarely spoke up, even among the group, that hearing him talk was always a surprise. "None of us would hesitate if it meant getting you on track."

Quatre nodded in agreement. "Trowa's right. We know what is coming and we'll do everything within our—granted, rather considerable—powers to stop it. Including forcing you to fight with us."

Maxwell was silent a moment, his eyes closed. Then he took a deep breath and started talking without opening his eyes. "Okay. Let's say I believe you, for the sake of the argument, 'kay? Where does that leave me? I mean, you guys seem to know what you're doing, have been trained since you could walk almost and know what you're going to face. Mostly. I, on the other hand, have just been dragged off the streets into something I know nothing about, without prior warning much less formal training, and no clue as to what the hell I'm doing. Also, you guys all know your powers, but what's mine?"

The rest of us shared an uneasy look. We had discussed this very topic for a full two and a half hours last night after I had received the message that Maxwell would arrive this morning.

Our conclusion? We had no frickin' idea.

That's not entirely true. We had _some_ idea, but we weren't at all sure. There was the traditional four elements—fire, water, earth and air—so he might be air, but when you considered Quatre's powers (life and light and all that, remember?), it made us think that maybe there was something else we were missing. It felt almost like putting a puzzle together where you only had the barest idea of what it was supposed to look like.

The long-haired boy seemed to sense the tension running in the air around him, since he opened one eye slowly and let his gaze travel around the room to look at each of us in turn, last of all me. "Well, don't everybody speak up at once." He tried to joke, but it was obviously forced. "Don't you guys know?"

I bit my lip on the inside, my mind racing to figure out a way to breach the silence without seeming too—

"No, we don't." Well, Wufei's approach always worked, too. Be blunt and hope for the best. Maxwell's other eye flew open as he understood the full import of those three words.

"What?!" He practically jumped from his reclining position on the bed to a very tense standing one in about half a second. "You guys have me kidnapped, tell me all this bullshit and then say you have no idea what powers I have, if any?! Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?!"

Quatre stood from where he'd been sitting on the bed and stepped forward. I forced myself to relax, having tensed when Maxwell had leapt up, shouting. The ice dagger that had once again formed between my fingers was also forcibly dismissed and I thought I caught a flicker of flame as Wufei did the same. Good. Of the four of us, Quatre was the best equipped to deal with this situation, his powers making him a natural middle-man.

"We don't know what your power is because we didn't know that there was a fifth until just a few days ago." He said slowly, his hands spread in an entreaty. Maxwell seemed to focus on him, intent on the blonde boy's words. "However, we will talk to our mentors and find out what it is. When we have done that, you will be the first to know. Until then, there are some things that you can work on, such as mental and spiritual control, that any one of us can teach you. Do you have Specials with any of us?"

I blinked, confused, before remembering that Quatre and Trowa weren't in our class, so they wouldn't know. Maxwell nodded before I could speak, though. "Yeah. Chang and He-Yuy." I wondered if anyone else had caught the almost slip. "Why?"

"They can work with you to teach you the basics of what you need to know until we find out what you actually are. It might be a while, though that's probably a good thing since we'll be starting from scratch with you." Quatre trailed off with a thoughtful look and Trowa reached out and pulled him back towards the wall. I decided to take up the slack.

"Is any of this making sense?" I asked, trying to keep my tenseness from showing in my voice. I must have succeeded, since Maxwell didn't give me a funny look before he answered.

"Mostly. Lemmee see if I got this straight." He crossed his arms as he looked at us. "One, you all have funky powers. Two, you have to use said powers to defeat the almighty evil that's coming to take over the world. Three, I'm apparently one of you guys. Four, you have no idea what my powers are, just that I have them. Five, we're all apparently just unlucky pawns in this shitty game of fate and the less I question it the easier it'll be. Six, you guys can teach me the basics of controlling my unknown powers while you figure out that particular puzzle. Seven, you're expecting the shit to hit the fan sometime soon. That about it?"

I think my slight bemusement was shared by everyone except Quatre, who was still lost in thought. "Well…when you put it that way…" Wufei certainly didn't look to confident.

Something Maxwell had said suddenly occurred to me and I frowned. "How did you know we were expecting the shit to hit the fan soon?" I asked sharply, bringing Maxwell's focus back to me.

He looked at me as if I was several cents short of a dollar. "Uh, maybe the fact that we're all here together?" He asked in a voice that obviously meant that no answer was required or even needed. I didn't answer and he shrugged. "Well, it just seemed obvious to me. Are you sure you have the time to teach me?"

Quatre dragged himself back to the real world and sent a concerned look in Maxwell's direction. "Duo, you need to understand." He pleaded. "This isn't just about us. The whole earth is at stake here and we can't afford any mistakes."

Wufei sighed and rubbed at his temple where he was probably getting the beginning of a migraine. "Put plainly, we can't do it without you Maxwell."


	5. Great Balls of Fire Literally

Title: Collide (Heero)

Author: Haliaetus

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters.

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child. I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.)

Chapter 4: Great Balls of Fire…Literally

The silence after Wufei dropped that bombshell was almost tangible. I mimicked his earlier gesture and rubbed lightly at my temple, the only sign of my inner exasperation I would allow myself.

Maxwell looked like he'd been poleaxed. "Say what?" He asked slowly, as if the words were having a hard time getting off his tongue.

"If all five of us aren't together, we have no chance against the enemy." I clarified, sending an annoyed look at Wufei, who at least had the grace to look slightly abashed, though unrepentant. "We need you, so we will do whatever it takes to ensure that you are able to stand and fight with us. Is that easier to understand?" He nodded slowly, but I had a feeling that he would need some time to completely absorb the large amount of information we had just given him.

Standing, I started to usher the other three out of my room, slipping out the door along with Wufei, who was the last to leave. Holding him back for a moment, I asked, "What do you think, Chang?" The Oriental boy looked at the closed door behind me thoughtfully, probably taking into account both his personal feelings and the facts relevant to our mission.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, Yuy." He answered finally. "It will take time, but I think we might be able to shape him into something that we can work with. But it won't be easy. He'll have to unlearn everything he thinks he knows about magic and such and I'm not entirely sure we have to time to do that. What about you?"

I also glanced at the wooden door, as if I could see the boy still standing in the room. "I'd have to agree with you there, Chang. Except I think he'll understand better than we could have hoped for. I wish we knew what his powers are, though." Wufei nodded.

"I think we all do. Good night, Yuy." He turned to leave.

"Good night, Chang." I swiveled and opened the door again, half expecting to see Maxwell still standing with a dazed expression. Finding the room empty, I frowned and looked towards the bathroom that was connected to our room. The door was closed, but the light was shining underneath it, indicating occupancy.

Figuring that it would probably be best to give him time and space to come to his own conclusions, I quickly stripped and slid into bed, turning so that I was facing away from the bathroom door. Water ran for about ten minutes, then stopped. Another ten minutes passed before the door opened, sending light into the darker room before being shut off. Maxwell didn't say anything, simply climbing into bed and quickly falling asleep.

I stayed awake a little longer, listening to the deep, even breaths of my roommate and thinking over the day's events. I fell asleep thinking about Abraham Lincoln.

The next morning, I woke to find a pair of indigo eyes barely half a foot from my own. With reflexes honed through seven years of intensive training, I struck before I had fully woken up. Blinking the last vestiges of sleep from my eyes and mind, I glared down at the startled face below me.

The ice dagger I had summoned faded out of existence and I growled inarticulately at Duo as I let him up, moving away towards the bureaus as I did so. A quick glance at the window told me that it was at least seven, possibly even eight, in the morning. The clock told me it was 8:12. We still had almost two hours before classes started.

The classes before Specials seemed to drag by, time having slowed to a crawl. Not even Maxwell's complaining managed to distract me for very long; I wanted to see what we could do in Specials today.

Then, finally, I was walking away from History and going to the large building where Specials was held. I got there before Duo did this time and had a moment alone with Wufei.

"Do you want to split for today, or work together?" I asked, cutting to the chase as I took the seat next to him. Wufei glanced at me, then looked out at the other students as he thought about the question.

"Together for now, I think." He replied slowly. "Maxwell still has no idea what he's doing and we need to get him on track as soon as possible. This way, one of us can teach and the other can spot." I nodded; it was a sensible plan.

Duo came in then and Zechs stood to talk to the class for a few minutes before letting us split up to work on basics. We paused only long enough to get directions to the smaller gym and then we were off on our own.

The small gym turned out to be about half the size of the main one, with the same layout, except that the bleachers in here were pushed up against the wall and not out for use. There were cabinets lined up against one wall and when we opened them, we discovered that they held varied weapons and tools, including—but not limited to—rope, long iron bars and glass mason jars. There was nothing in the cabinets that we needed for now, so we ignored them after that initial inspection.

"Stand in the middle of the floor." I told Maxwell, who'd actually been quiet since he'd come to class. When he was positioned in the center of the mat, I indicated for him to stay there a moment, then pulled Wufei aside for a quick conference.

"Where do we start?" I asked, suddenly unsure of myself in this new role of teacher. Wufei gave me a scathing look.

"We start where our mentors started. With the basics." With that, he strode out onto the floor and approached Maxwell.

"We will begin with finding your power." He said clearly. "I want you to focus on this." He held something up and I caught the glint as light reflected off it. A mirror. Maxwell glanced at me doubtfully, but I nodded and indicated that he should do as he was told. I could remember this exercise from my when I had begun my own training, seven years ago. Wufei had been taught almost from birth, since his mentor had been a relative who had quickly recognized the power in him. The long haired boy shrugged in resignation and looked at the mirror Wufei was still holding up.

"Concentrate on something that you see in it." Wufei's voice was calm and quiet, rising and falling in a soothing cadence. I felt myself begin to slip into the trace-like state and I wasn't even looking at the mirror. "Cut away the distractions around you until what you see is all you can see. Nothing exists except for that. Do you have it? Good."

I frowned slightly. I remembered doing this exercise every day for several years, slipping into the trance and finding my center in a matter of seconds as I got better at finding the spot where my magic came from. Doctor J had told me the meaning behind the exercise one day when I had gotten bored of doing the same thing every day.

**Flashback**

"This exercise is not meant to make you focused, boy." The doctor explained, not looking up from his breakfast. "It is designed to show you where your power comes from, where to draw from when you need it. The quicker you can find that spot, the quicker you can use your magic and sometimes, a second is the difference between life and death." I frowned.

"But why?" I had only been with the doctor for about six months at that point and hadn't gotten the idea that asking questions was asking for more time doing simple exercises and less time doing the actual training. Doctor J looked up at me, then, exasperated.

"It's so that the magic that lives in you does not get out of control when you reach to use it, boy. An inexperienced user can lose himself in the magic and it will devour him, leaving him simply a husk while his mind is trapped in his own magic. The exercise you call boring is, in fact, one of the most dangerous things I will teach you in our time together. There is always a chance that you could become lost in your magic. If that happens, there is no way to reverse it. Understand?"

"How would I know if that happened to me?" I persisted. My mentor's eyes grew distant behind the large spectacles he wore.

"Your body will no longer obey you, you will scream and no sound will escape your lips. Your magic will form a solid and impenetrable wall between your mind and the outside. You will be locked in that prison for as long as your body lives." He brought himself back to the present with an almost audible snap.

"Do you understand now, boy? It is not something that should be taken lightly. Nothing I teach you is to be taken lightly. There is always danger in finding and using your magic. Never forget that, boy."

**End Flashback**

In the here and now, I watched Maxwell sink into the light trance as Doctor J's warning ran through my head like a broken record, repeating the same words over and over. 'There is always danger. Always danger. Always.'

"Now, I want you to turn your mind inward. No, don't look away, keep focusing on what you see. Make sure you have that image fixed before your eyes before you try it again. Got it? Okay. Now try again. Send your awareness through your soul to find your center, where everything that is you has its beginning. Let it embrace you, pull you in. Sort through it now, separate the different strands that are your thoughts, your personality, your memories, and find that spot that seems to draw you in, that calls out to you."

A slight frown crossed Maxwell's expressive face as he did as he was told. I started to frown more, having seen my friends go into this trance often. Something was wrong, I knew; something about the way Maxwell was standing, the look in his eyes, didn't sit right with my mental image of how it should look.

Wufei seemed to be catching on to it, as well. "Maxwell, can you hear me still? Close your eyes if you can hear me." There was no reaction from the indigo eyed boy. "Damn! Heero!"

I was at his side in an instant, helping him lower Maxwell into a horizontal position on the floor. The Chinese boy started slapping his cheeks lightly, muttering something to himself. I settled for massaging suddenly limp and unresponsive arms and legs, hoping to get a response.

"Heero." Wufei's voice was abrupt. "Keep trying to wake him up. I'm going to go get Zechs." I nodded and took his place as he stood and left the small gym at a run.

"Come on, Maxwell. Give me a response." I muttered at the entranced object of my ministrations as I started to slap his cheeks a little harder. "Don't you dare get sucked in this early in the game. We can't do it without you, remember. We all need you. Yes, all of us, even if Wufei is rather obstinate bastard some of the time."

I stopped talking for a moment, trying to think of something to say. Speech wasn't my forte, after living alone with Doctor J for seven years, so I was a little hard pressed to find something to talk idly about. Finally, I decided to talk about the other guys.

"Quatre—the blond one, remember?—is from someplace in the Middle East. Arabia, I think is what he said. He doesn't act it, but he's actually the son of a rather important business man who deals with some of the top dogs all around the world. He also packs quite the punch, so don't be too fooled by his nice exterior; he can knock a grown man unconscious if he puts his mind to it." There was still no response from Maxwell, so I continued talking.

"Trowa is something of an enigma to the rest of us. He says he's lived with his instructor for as long as he can remember, but I'm not entirely sure he's telling the truth on that. He's also rather level-headed and sensible in any situation, unlike Quatre, who gets highly emotional very easily." I started to alternate shaking Maxwell with slapping his cheeks. When was Wufei going to be back?

I smiled slightly, just the barest relaxing of my facial features. "Wufei's probably the one I relate to the most out of the four of us. He's got this idea that good will always prevail over wrong and that justice will be delivered, but despite that, he fights well and isn't afraid to be blunt when the situation calls for it. It's actually rather ironic, isn't it? He's fire and I'm ice, yet we get along fairly well."

Nothing I was doing seemed to be having any effect. "Then there's me. I've actually only been training for about seven years, which is still a rather long time, though not nearly as long as the others have. This is probably the most I've said since I started my training, in fact. You should feel honored. I—"

"...honored my ass…" The words were barely gasped out, but they were there. I leaned closer, everything else forgotten.

"Maxwell? Can you hear me? Answer me dammit!" I shook him roughly. "Don't you dare do this to me, Maxwell! Duo!"

One of his eyes fluttered open briefly before closing again and the barest hint of a smile curved his lips. "Thas the firs' time you've called me Duo…" He muttered. I blinked, automatically reviewing everything I'd said to him and finding out he was right. Not once had I called him by his first name, always by his last name. Then he tried to sit up and I abandoned that train of thought to help him.

He leaned weakly against me, breathing shallowly from the effort and closing his eyes. I didn't want him to close his eyes, but I didn't say anything, not wanting him to know just how bad he had scared me.

"What happened?" He asked, his breath warm against my cheek. I shifted slightly to a more comfortable position—one where his elbow wasn't jabbing into my gut.

"You went too far into the trance and were almost sucked into your power and trapped there." I said matter-of-factly. "We almost lost you."

He frowned and opened his eyes again, looking past me to the rest of the room. "Where's Wuffers?"

"Who?" I asked before realizing he meant Wufei. "He went to get Zechs, though I have no idea why he's taking so—damn!" I swore as I felt the ultrasonic shock wave and semi-consciously tightened my arms around Duo to keep him from falling over.

"What the hell was _that_?" Duo exclaimed, right in my ear. I winced at the loud noise, then stood up and held my hand out to help Duo up as well.

"That is what happens when Wufei doesn't get what he wants, obstinate bastard that he is." I informed him, steadying him as he regained his balance. "Come on. We'd better go see what happened to make him that angry before he starts laying in on the other students."

With me helping him occasionally, Duo made it to the larger gym on his own power. I opened the door and we slipped in, keeping close to the exit in case things went south.

It wasn't as bad as I had originally feared when I'd first felt the shock wave, but it wasn't no picnic either. Wufei was standing in the middle of the room, fire raging all around him like a living beast, with one hand pointed towards where Zechs was standing in front of the rest of the class protectively. The Chinese boy's hair had come undone from its usual strict ponytail and was now blowing in the drafts of hot air generated by the fire, not really helping the overall impression.

"Dammit, Chang." I muttered to myself as I started across the room. "You couldn't have picked a better time or place, could you?" I almost told Duo to stay put, but somehow I knew he wouldn't obey me anyway, so I just let it be.

I could get no closer than about fifteen feet from Wufei without getting singed. At that point, I paused, found my center and the source of my power and cast liquid water into the blazing inferno. I formed an ice shield that I kept frozen with my power, resisting the heat of the flames as I stepped forward where I'd killed the fire with the water. Behind me, I felt Duo hesitate, then dart forward to walk close behind me, adequately covered with the ice shield.

It took several more bursts of water and rests before we made it to the center of the maelstrom. Taking a deep breath, I let go of the ice shield, felt it melt around me, and reached out to grip Wufei by the shoulders, sending my power coursing through my arms and out my fingertips.

With an almost audible snap, ice grew around my friend, cutting him off from his flames. As the cold registered, I saw his eyes flicker from where they'd been staring steadily at Zechs to look at me. When he recognized me, the flames started to die down and I let the ice melt at the same time, keeping my attention on him to make sure he calmed down enough.

The last flicker of flame sputtered and died a moment later, as did the last of the ice I had cast around Wufei. There was silence for a few long moments, then Duo's voice came from somewhere behind me and to my right.

"Well, that's one way to put out the fire."


	6. Just What the Doctor Ordered

Title: Collide (Heero)

Author: Haliaetus

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters.

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child. I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.)

Chapter 5: Just What the Doctor Ordered

As it turned out, Zechs had refused to come as quickly as Wufei had wanted him to and—contrary bastard that he was—the anger had added to the worry already eating up his mind, making for some pretty impressive pyrotechnics. Though I had to commend him for holding out as long as he had; I probably would have lost it a lot sooner than he had if I had been in his place. As it was, Zechs' attitude towards us cooled quite a bit. Not that he'd been our best buddy or anything before, but now he almost went out of his way to ignore us.

Still, apart from that incident on the second day, nothing exciting happened for the next several weeks. Wufei and I used our time in Specials teaching Duo about how to find and tap his power, as well as instructing him on exercises meant to increase his control. As I got more comfortable being around Duo, I was able to get more into the whole teaching thing and actually did a few of the lessons on my own while Wufei practiced in the other gym.

Quatre and I had been trying to get a hold of one of the doctors, but had been having no success so far. Either they had all gone and taken a vacation to Jamaica at the same time (highly improbable, but a valid option) or they were simply not answering (much more likely and just as valid). Either way, there was no contact made and we were all starting to get a little fed up with the wait to know just what Duo's powers were.

Speaking of Duo, the long-haired boy finally believed we were telling the truth after that incident in Specials. He'd been quiet for the rest of the day, but just before we turned out the lights that night, I thought I'd heard something along the lines of "Sorry." He was putting quite a bit of work into learning what he could until we found out what he could do and Wufei had even let up on being overly criticizing, keeping to remarks that helped as much as they pointed out what he was doing wrong.

There was one point that Duo wouldn't let up on, though and that was the fact that I had slipped and called him by his first name. I had been careful not to do so out loud again (key words there being out loud. Having done it once that way, I couldn't seem to continue thinking of him as just Maxwell anymore.) but that didn't stop him from trying to get me to say it again. It went without saying that I had yet to crack under the pressure.

Another thing that had been resolved since then was Duo's hair. Having hair that long loose while practicing magic just did not bode well in the long run. We actually had a bit of a spat over it one evening. I gave him the ultimatum of cutting it or else. He basically gave me the finger, told me to swivel on it and shot down every attempt to get him to comply. We'd settled on having it braided. It stayed the same length, but was out of the way. Wufei had wisely stayed out of the whole mess.

It had given me some ammo to use against him when he was feeling particularly ornery, though. One complaint too many and I would casually remind him that I could quite easily cut his hair in his sleep with my ice daggers. He'd glare at me, tell me to pull the stick that was apparently shoved up my ass out and be rather compliant for the rest of the day.

Now, though, as I watched Duo go through the exercises we'd taught him to increase his awareness, I couldn't help but think that there really wasn't anything else we could do without knowing what his powers were. He could perform all of the exercises to perfection, was able to sink into the trance in about three seconds and had even managed to get Wufei to teach him how to see auras, which the Chinese boy had reluctantly agreed to do. I had to admit, the guy had guts and apparently a tongue of silver, seeing as he had managed to sweet talk his way into the good graces of just about all of his teachers (except Zechs, who absolutely refused to speak to Wufei and was barely civil to Duo and I) and convince Wufei to teach him something _I_ hadn't been taught until my fifth year.

The braided boy mastered the aura thing in a little under a week. Which only went to show what determination and incentive could do to a person's results. If only he showed those same qualities in class…

Specials ended a short while later and as Duo and I walked to our next class, Quatre came running to intercept us, his face a little flushed from the exercise. "Heero! Duo! Thank Allah I found you! I got a message from Doctor J! Here!" he thrust a piece of paper into my hands and I stared at it for a moment, the words not registering. Then I blinked and focused with a slight frown.

"He's coming here? With G?" I glanced at the blond. "Why?"

Quatre shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they found something out and they need to talk to us in person. I didn't actually talk to Doctor J; one of the secretaries handed me this note in my last class. Oh! I've got to go, but I'll talk to you guys later! See ya!" With a jaunty wave, he was gone, leaving me with the piece of paper and a rather confused Duo.

"So…what was that all about?" Duo asked when we'd reached our class and sat down. I sent a quick glance at the note I was still holding, though I already knew what it said.

"You know how we told you about the guys who taught us about our powers?" I waited for his affirmation before continuing. "Well, Doctor J was my mentor and I've been trying to get in contact with him for weeks, ever since that first day. Well, apparently he's coming to visit tomorrow and he's bringing Professor G with him."

"And G is…who?" Duo asked, the confused look still in place on his face, though it had been joined by a rather wary look. I could understand that; he'd finally gotten to the point where he could more or less trust us and now a whole new variable was being introduced into the equation.

"The guy who has the same powers as you." I said, blunt and straightforward, deciding to stick to facts on this one. No elaborating for me until I got the others in on it. "Hopefully, we'll learn more when they get here since the note didn't say much."

"Oh." Duo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I guess they can come." He smiled as if he'd just made an executive decision in allowing the two older men anywhere near the school. In a sense, I guess he had and I felt rather relieved that we wouldn't have to restrain him forcefully to get him to stick around when J and G arrived. When that had actually occurred to me as a possibility, I didn't know, just that it popped up as a relieved worry as soon as Duo had voiced his opinion.

Then I realized he was looking at me oddly and guessed I'd missed something while I'd been lost in thoughts about the other possible reactions to hearing that news. Frowning slightly at the lack of concentration I was showing, I focused on him again. "What?"

"I asked if you knew when they'd be arriving exactly?" Duo asked again, also frowning a little, though I wasn't sure of the cause. For all I knew, it was because he didn't like way my collar was folded down. Actually, that was a distinct possibility from what I'd seen and heard these past few weeks.

"Not really. All it says is that they'll arrive after classes tomorrow, which could be anytime between 3:30 and Armageddon." He grinned as if I'd said something humorous and I frowned a bit more, pretty sure I hadn't. Never mind. "Knowing J, though, I think it'll probably be sometime around nine tomorrow night. He's just like that."

Duo's grin got a bit wider and I was starting to really wonder why he was even smiling in the first place, but I had the feeling that if I asked, he'd probably laugh at me and _that_ was definitely not needed. Besides, we had assignments we needed to work on. I told him as much and turned back around to concentrate on my work, set on ignoring him for the rest of the hour long class.

Then he asked something that made me totally forget about that resolution.

"If J was your mentor…" He started slowly. I looked over my shoulder at him and found him staring back at me in a speculating manner. I raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well, I was just thinking that if J was _your_ mentor, then why did he contact Q?" I blinked at the unusual nickname for Quatre, but decided that it wasn't as big of a deal as the actual question was. I thought about it.

"I don't know." I said finally, being totally honest with both him and myself. "I'll have to ask him tomorrow." Duo didn't say anything more on the matter and I let it drop, though the thought stayed in my mind all night and most of the next day, right up to when the two scientists arrived.

Like I had thought, J arrived at 9:30 p.m. the next day. Everyone was in our room, but we hadn't done much to relieve the tension that was almost tangible in the fairly small space. In fact, I had had to stop a couple of fights from starting between Duo and Wufei. It was almost a relief when the knock came.

I got up before anyone else could move and cracked to door open. Ms. Une was standing there, not looking too happy, with Doctor J and a man who I presumed to be Professor G behind her.

"These are visitors here to see you, Mr. Yuy. I'll be in the main office if you need anything. Good night." Without staying any longer to see my reaction, she turned on her heel and all but stomped down the hall. Somehow, I got the feeling that visitors this late was not the normal procedure for such things. I couldn't bring myself to care.

Opening the door wider, I silently invited the two scientists into the room, making it a grand total of seven people in the shrinking space. The others had ranged along the far wall, in such a way that almost made it seem as if they were trying to protect Duo without seeming obvious about it.

J didn't waste any time getting down to business. Rubbing his hands, he peered at Duo through his large glasses. "You'd be the fifth, then, eh, boy?" He muttered. "Good, good. You'll need to be briefed and caught up to the others, but that shouldn't take too long. No, not long at all. Especially considering your powers…" He trailed off and I caught Trowa and Quatre exchanging pensive looks. Neither of them seemed to want to ask the obvious question, though and Wufei was looking as if his greatest wish right then was to burn J into a cinder and watch the wind blow what was left away. Duo…would probably have eventually breached the gap, but he seemed almost intimidated by the scientists' presence, so that left me to do all the talking. Again.

"Uh, just what _are_ his powers, J?" I asked slowly, hiding my instinctive flinch when the eccentric scientist jerked around to look at me.

"Ah, Heero lad. You seem well." He didn't seem to have heard the question, but I hadn't spent the past seven years living with him without learning his body language and right now, it was telling me that he was rather nervous and hesitant to answer that very question. Still, he could stall for only so much time. "Well, I think it would be best if G here answered that, since he's the one who would have taught the boy if we'd found him before now…" He edged back, leaving Professor G the center of attention.

It was then that I realized, odd-looking though J looked, G looked even odder. His gray hair was shaped very much like a mushroom and he had a long, beak-like nose that projected a couple of inches away from his face. A long scar ran down one cheek, making his appearance something that rather resembled sinister, rather than just eccentric.

He didn't say anything for a long moment and the tension that had retreated at the knocks returned in full force with reinforcements. This time, all five of us exchanged looks. Finally, the professor sighed and seemed to finally focus on Duo, who happened to be sitting directly in front of him.

"Mental awareness of one's magical potential is usually required for use of one's magical powers." G said slowly. I frowned. Why was he saying something that we all knew? It was one of the first things we had pounded into Duo's brain, too, so there was nothing new there either. I decided to wait and see where he was going with this before I questioned anything, though, and returned my attention to what he was saying.

"However, in our case, your powers manifest themselves unconsciously until you learn of their existence, at which time they go into a type of hibernation until you are able to tap into them. This is what I was taught by my mentor and it is what I will pass on to you." He paused before continuing.

"Think carefully, boy. At any point in your life up until now, has there ever been a time when anyone you cared for died or was hurt in any way for apparently no reason at all?"

Duo's expressive face had been showing confusion up until this point, but when G asked that, I saw something flicker through his expression too fast for me to pin it down properly before it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Had it been fear? Horror? Shock? I couldn't think of any explanations for any of those, but G's words had definitely struck a nerve in the braided boy.

"How did you…? How could you…? Why…?" His normally exuberant voice was barely more than a whisper as he stared back at G, eyes wide. The professor nodded, as if his question had been answered as he had expected it to be.

"Yes. Exactly. It will not happen unconsciously again, but every time you use your powers, there is always a possibility that it will get away from your control. Keep that in mind at all times. This is not a game and you cannot afford to treat it as such. Your powers are probably the least controllable of the five of you and you will have to work harder than they will to keep that control. I will not lie to you—it will be hard, possibly even harder than fighting your opponent will be. But you can survive, if you have the will." He stopped abruptly, then turned to look at J.

"Take the others out of the room. I need to speak to the boy alone." J nodded and gestured for the rest of us to leave the room. We obeyed, filing out in a subdued silence, and J followed us out, shutting the door behind him.

Nothing could be heard through the door, which Quatre immediately verified for us. There didn't seem to be anything to say that would fill the silence adequately enough, so we said nothing, simply looking at each other and at the door that separated us from Duo and G.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the door opened and G slipped out, closing the door again before we could see if Duo was alright. Quatre moved to go in, but G blocked him and shook his head.

"He needs time to himself to come to terms with what he has just learned about himself. Give him some privacy." We reluctantly nodded agreement, though I for one was wondering just how soon I could get back in the room. G started down the hallway, obviously intent on leaving right then and there, but J hung back for a moment.

"Um, Heero, lad? Could I talk to you for a moment?" He seemed a bit nervous about something and I reluctantly agreed. He took my arm and pulled me a little ways down the hall so that we wouldn't be overheard by the others, who were still grouped around the door to my dorm room.

"What is it, J?" I asked, crossing my arms. The doctor fiddled with the corner of his shirt a moment before taking a deep breath and answering.

"It's about young Maxwell, there."

"What about him?" I frowned, wondering just how bad it had to be for J to be this awkward.

"How is he coming on the basics?"

"Chang and I have been teaching him for the past few weeks, ever since the second day of school. He's make remarkable progress and has even learned to read auras. Why do you ask?" This wasn't sounding good.

"Well, there's something you should know about his powers. They…they have a bit of a tendency to be a bit more…ah, _destructive_ when they manifest, though not in the way that young Chang's are. He should be able to control them fairly well, though I would advise being careful around him when he's in emotional extremes, as that is when his control is at its weakest. Just…be careful around him. He's going to be more sensitive than the rest of you and that will make him all the more dangerous to you and to your opponent. Good luck on that, by the way. You'll need it." With that, he scurried down the hall to catch up to G, who was already at the stairs. Watching them until they disappeared from sight, I headed back to my room, noting that the others had dispersed.

Opening the door slowly, I peered into the room to see where Duo was and if he was alright. He wasn't in the main room, so I entered fully and, closing the door, went to check the bathroom. He wasn't there either. Turned away, I saw the open window and frowned; it hadn't been open when we had left the room and Duo was nowhere inside…

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks and I hurried to the window, eyes straining to make anything out in the darkness. I couldn't see anything, but the sound of a motorcycle revving up floated to my ears and I had the sinking feeling that I knew where Duo was going.

There was a town at the base of the mountain the Institution was perched on. Although it was half a day's hike, it wouldn't take more than a couple hours on a motorcycle and the roads were fairly clear at this time of the year. Students would go down over the weekends for activities that weren't offered at the Institution, so it wasn't exactly confidential information. Duo had probably found out about it's existence early on.

I knew there was no time to waste if I was going to go after Duo and convince him to stay, but it wasn't until I was almost out the front door of the dorm that I realized that that was what I was going to do. The thought actually made me pause.

Why did it matter so much to me what happened to Duo? What made him different from, say, Trowa? It would have the same consequences if Trowa left; we needed everyone equally for the confrontation. But Duo _was_ different. He was like a breath of fresh air in our lives that had become so cluttered with the driving ambition to beat back this great opposing power that stood before us in the near future. He represented something that we had never had and never would, at least not until we defeated our opponent and maybe not even then.

I shook my head to clear it of these thoughts. There would be time later to analyze my actions. Right now, I needed to find Duo and bring him back before it was too late.

There were a number of vehicles in front of the school, but I didn't take the time to be picky about which one to take. Quickly hotwiring a pickup truck of the latest make so that I could also bring the motorbike back, I took a moment to familiarize myself with the controls before heading down the mountain after Duo.

I reached the town two and a half hours later and immediately slowed down, the better to scan the dark buildings around me for any sign of Duo. A wino was trundling along one side of the road, already completely smashed and teetering precariously on his feet. I ignored him, trying to penetrate the shadows beyond him for Duo or the motorbike.

I found the motorbike first. It had apparently met a dumpster, promptly gotten into a fight with it, then lost spectacularly. Stopping the truck, I jumped out, hoping to find Duo somewhere close to the bike.

A brief glimpse of blue caught my eye and I turned to investigate a nearby phone booth. It was cast in shadow, but as I drew closer, I realized that most of the shadows that lay at the bottom was actually the form of someone with a long braid and a shirt that matched mine.

_Duo…_Pulling at the door, it didn't take me long to figure out that Duo had locked it before falling unconscious. At least, I thought he was unconscious; as still as he was, he could be—_no! Don't go there!_

I applied a judicial amount of ice to the lock, then hit it firmly with a dagger, nodding in satisfaction as the whole ensemble shattered into quite a few pieces, a couple falling inside the booth. The door opened on its own and I reached in, pulling Duo out carefully, cautious of any injuries he might have from the collision with the dumpster.

There was blood staining his pants and his wrist was bent at an angle that I was willing to bet wasn't natural and I carefully applied some ice to keep the swelling down on the obviously broken joint.

As I picked him up, Duo moaned quietly and his uninjured hand gripped a fold of my shirt in an unconscious act. I swallowed and concentrated on getting him back to the truck and safely stowed. Having done that and pried his surprisingly strong grip from my shirt, I loaded the bike into the truck and restarted it.

The trip back up the Institution seemed to take much longer than the trip to town had taken, though I knew it was about the same. My worry for Duo and what would happen made the minutes seem to stretch into hours as I made my way up the winding road.

Finally, though, I pulled into a spot and turned the truck off. Unloading the bike first, I put it back with the other motorcycles before returning for Duo, who hadn't woken up yet. Holding him like he was made of fine china, I somehow made it up the dorm building stairs and into our room without anyone seeing me. Laying Duo out on his bed, I slipped back out, on a different mission this time.

Quatre had been given a single room, a fact I was grateful for when I knocked on his door. After a moment of tense waiting, the blond opened the door with a yawn, frowning when he saw me.

"Heero? What's wrong?" I pulled him out of his room, explaining as we went. By the time we reached my room, Quatre was wide awake and looking equally worried. Immediately going to Duo, he bent over the unconscious boy, frowning in concentration.

"This doesn't look good…" He muttered, holding his hands out over Duo's prone body. I was suddenly reminded of when Duo had almost been lost in his magic and I bit my lip as I wondered if he would wake up soon.

"Can you heal him?" My voice was probably a bit more abrupt and tense than it had to be, but Quatre didn't do anything more than give me a reproving glance.

"Yes, though he will still need rest and time to recover. Give me some room, Heero. He's not going to die, though he may have a concussion." I started, suddenly realizing that I had edged closer and was crowding the smaller boy.

"Sorry." I muttered, retreating to my bed across the room.

"It's all right. Why don't you go get Wufei and Trowa? They should know as well." I nodded shortly. Anything to distract me. Getting up, I once again went in search of the others.

In a short time, we were all standing in my room and Quatre was sinking onto my bed in exhaustion. He'd done what he could to heal Duo's injuries, but apparently there was something that was blocking his power, cutting down on the effectiveness. Duo had yet to wake up and Quatre honestly admitted that there was a slim chance that he might not. I refused to believe that that was even a possibility.

Now, there was nothing more we could do except for wait and hope for the best. Yawning, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei went back to their recently abandoned beds for a few more hours of rest, thankful that it was the weekend which meant that we didn't have to be up for classes in the morning. I watched them leave, shut the door behind them and went to lay down, facing Duo.

* * *

A/N: Hey again! Sorry it took so long to update with this chapter; school started and I had marching band in addition to the load of homework I have every day now. Anyway, POC wanted me to let you guys know that the second half of this chapter (the whole 'Duo trying to run away from everything) and the first half of the next chapter (which is the resolution of that particular bit) is all her. I'm telling you this because for the past few chapters, it's seemed like I've been writing and she's just going off of that. She just wanted you guys to know that she has contributed to the whole, too. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, but don't be too hopeful about getting it before next Saturday or Sunday, due to school and marching band.

See ya!

Haliaetus


	7. A Deeper Understanding

Title: Collide Heero's POV

Rating: M (to be on the safe side for later chapters)

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. Or related articles. Or really anything mentioned in this fic.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4, 5 by his sad widdle lonesome…for now

Warnings: lots of very bad language, shonen-ai, Heero POV, magic, supernatural jazz, Hellish fiends (AKA Treize, Une and Dorothy. And Relena), Senile old men, yaoi, possible lemons in other chapters. ANGST AND SUICIDAL TENDENCIES FOR THIS CHAPTER!!!!

A/N: This is a joint fiction with Pathetic Otaku Child. I write Heero's POV, she writes Duo's. They're posted separately. You can probably read just one and be able to get it if you're too lazy or don't have the time to go look her up as well, but you should anyway. (Yes, that was shameless promotion of a friend. Deal with it.)

Um, Heero's a bit OOC in this chapter in the sense that he actually has a grasp of feelings…ish. I'm not entirely sure as to how to express just how odd it is...of course, that might just be me...-.-' Sorry for the wait, though.

Chapter 6: A Deeper Understanding

I hadn't thought that I would actually fall asleep, what with everything that had happened, but I found myself waking up with sunlight shining in my eyes. Blinking the remainder of unconsciousness away as I sat up, I glanced at the clock. Almost nine. Damn. I'd slept almost six hours.

A quick glance at Duo showed that he was still dead to the world. That was almost a relief; I hadn't missed him waking up. It also worried me. Surely he would have woken up by now?

Quatre's words floated to the forefront of my mind. _He may not wake up…_ No. I shoved that thought back, refusing to even admit its existence. Duo _would_ wake up and that was all there was to it.

I spent the next few hours sitting in bed, working on a couple of papers for History and Arts and keeping an eye on the other bed that occupied the room. A few hours later, the papers were done, there was no change with Duo and the others had been in and out a couple of times. The fifth time they visited, I got fed up.

"I will let you know when he shows any improvement. Now stay out and leave us alone." Not wanting to argue with me, they left, but Quatre lagged behind to say one thing before he followed.

"Don't worry, Heero. He'll be fine. I'll bring you some lunch soon, okay?" I nodded and Quatre gave me a sympathetic smile before leaving. Finally alone, I got up to use the facilities. Coming back into the room, I automatically looked at Duo, not really expecting a change, but—I frowned.

Something had changed. Going closer, I tried to figure out what it was. Then he moaned and shifted and I realized that he had to be waking up. Relief flooded through me that he would be alright. Before I could even label it as relief, anger covered it up. What had he been thinking last night? Did he even know the consequences of what he had done?

His eyelids flickered and I knew he had to be awake, even if he wasn't showing it. "You can open your eyes. I know you're not still unconscious." I said, keeping my voice emotionless and even. No one else could be allowed to see my inner turmoil over the recent events.

He had seemed to tense, but relaxed infinitesimally when he heard my voice. "Hiya, 'Ro," His voice was a croak and he cracked one eye open to peer up at me through his bangs.

I took a deep breath to say something, but what came out had overtones of anger that I hadn't meant to allow through. "What kind of stunt were you trying to pull, Maxwell?"

Duo had the grace to look at least partially abashed. "Ummm. Yeah. About that. See, there's only so much a guy can take. I mean, I found out that it was my fucking fault that everyone died. I think I'm entitled to a little freak out." Regardless of the injuries he still sustained, his voice was almost the same as before, light and slightly mocking with his endless cheerfulness.

My hold on the anger slipped further. "A _little_ freak out? Damn it, Maxwell, I had to drag you back here with multiple injuries. You were unconscious, and we were scared you wouldn't wake up. In what way is that little?"

"I didn't kill anyone, did I?" His voice was small, he had averted his gaze to stare at the ceiling and he looked as if the answer was important but he didn't really want to hear it.

Unsure of what the importance of the question was, I frowned, the anger slipping away. "No, you didn't kill anyone. Why do you ask?" I almost asked if it was something G had said, but decided to take it one thing at a time.

"I…it's nothing." A shadow passed over his face and he closed his eyes, but it was gone before I could pin it down as something. When he opened his eyes again, I could see that he was trying to use what Wufei and I had taught him about control, but he was only partly succeeding and I could tell he was uneasy about something. He waved me closer, but I didn't move more than a couple of inches, not sure I really wanted to know what I heard next.

He scowled slightly and patted the bed next to him, a stubborn light in his violet eyes. I decided that I was probably going to hear about whatever it was eventually, so it would be best to get this over with as soon as possible. Maybe I could get a few of my questions answered and fill in a bit more of the puzzle that had become my life.

I sank onto the soft mattress, but I didn't say anything, waiting for him to begin. He was silent for a long moment, apparently thinking about something. Then he took a breath to speak.

"'Ro. You mentioned one day that there's a way to look at someone's memories, right?" I was slightly surprised at the question. I nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"Yes, but it has to be after you're very close to someone and you've already set up a telepathic link." We hadn't spent much time on the subject for just that reason. Why bring it up now?

"Oh. Well, I guess that option's out. I'll just have to do it orally, then. Wait…that wasn't innuendo, 'kay?"

It took me a moment to follow the jump from talking about something to innuendoes. Then I realized what the innuendo was. The temperature of my face rose a few degrees. Duo looked amused at my reaction, but then he seemed to remember something and his eyes were dark again as he continued to speak.

"Anyway, the abridged version. You probably know that I grew up on the streets. Well, all I'll say about that is that it wasn't all fun and games. I found out today why I was there. Wanna know why?" He didn't wait for a reply though, which was fine since I didn't have one. I hadn't known he'd grown up on the streets. Yes, he'd shown some tendencies that he explained as being something he'd had to use on the streets, but I hadn't realized he'd actually grown up on them. But he was talking still, so I tuned back in.

"'Cause I killed my own parents and a whole shitload of strangers at birth. You get that, Yuy? I was a mass murderer before I was an hour old? And there was this other incident, when I was seven. My family, my crew, my gang. We were fighting another crew for some turf. Less than a block. It seems so worthless now, but then it was a matter of life and death. Ha. Death."

He laughed at that, but I didn't see the humor in what he'd said. Then again, I wasn't sure there even was any humor, since the laugh had been short and bitter. Maybe it was an irony that only he knew.

His face wasn't betraying much of what he was going through emotionally, telling me about this, but the hand that suddenly reached for mine was trembling. I didn't particularly care for having others touch me—it had been the first rule I had established with the other three boys—but somehow, I couldn't bring myself to pull away. The memory of his hand—the same one that now clutched at mine—grabbing my shirt in a surprisingly strong grip added to that conviction. I continued to listen.

"Well, the fight had barely gotten started when some bastard threw a switchblade. It got Solo. Got 'im right in th' chest. He fell back wards onto me. Y'see, he was protecting me. He took it for me. Still dunno why. But he did. I panicked. I couldn't get 'im offa me. He was my hero. My everything. And then suddenly he wasn't moving, wasn't laughing. He wasn't alive. I guess then my powers got outta control. Everyone there died. My friends and my enemies." I could hear the emotion he'd tried to hide come through in the words. His voice was full of old pain and sorrow. His speech patterns had degraded as well, back to what I guessed he'd learned on the streets instead of the more grammatically correct speech patterns he'd been using since I'd met him.

"Then, later, at th' Maxwell Church, I stayed late at school for detention. I must have been only nine, but some asshole and his buds were pickin' on me. So I fought them. I won fair and square, but someone squealed to th' teach. I was really worried and depressed about that, 'cause I knew that I'd probably get 'xpelled next time I got in trouble. And that'd make Sister Helen and Father Maxwell real sad. They'd be all disappointed in me, yanno? I didn't want that. If anything, I didn't want that."

Another humorless laugh. I started to frown a bit. Was it really okay for Duo to be saying all this? For all I knew, his brain had been affected by the crash and he didn't really know what he was talking about or to whom he was talking. But no, his hand was still grasping mine like it was the only lifeline he had to save him from drowning. He knew exactly what he was saying.

"They never did find out. When I got home, it was burning. Everyone died. Everyone." Slightly softer, as if he'd finished his story. He turned to look me straight in the eye.

"Know why? My power's death, 'Ro. I kill innocent people."

I was stunned, for lack of a better expression. Although when the others and I had talked about what his power could be, we had considered the opposite of Quatre's, it had never occurred to me that it was a very real possibility. Yet here was Duo, telling me plain as day that he was carrying death around with him.

"I…you…w-what?" I couldn't believe myself. I never stuttered or hesitated when I spoke. Frowning, I tried again. "What do you mean, your power's death?" I asked slowly. I wanted-_needed_- to understand.

Duo took a long moment before replying. "I mean, I have to power to suck people's lives right out of them. I lower my barriers and _-zap-_ they're dead, like the moth that gets too close to the flame." He shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "Honestly, I don't really know to much about how it works. All I've got is what G told me and what I remember."

I'd only half listened. I was more concerned with the _way_ he was talking than _what_ he was saying. It was almost as if he was afraid of something, though what that could be, I didn't know. Almost as if he knew something I didn't. I felt my facial muscles pull slightly into a frown.

"You're hiding something." Blunt and direct. One of my favorite ways of dealing with issues like this. It was one of the few things Wufei and I agreed on without argument. "What is it?"

He looked startled, as if surprised I had seen through him. "What…what do you mean, Heero?" No nickname. I must have hit something sensitive. Well, no backing out now; I'd just have to keep pressing until I got my answers.

"Don't play innocent on this, Maxwell," I growled, my frown becoming more pronounced. "If you won't tell me, I can't help. Tell me what you're hiding from me."

It was as if the barriers had been torn away, leaving him naked and vulnerable before me. All the humor and cheer had disappeared from his countenance, leaving pure, unadulterated fear and loneliness.

Loneliness. That was what it was. Now that I was thinking about it, I could remember catching him looking at the others during one of our group meetings as they argued in a familiar way. He'd had an almost wistful look on his face. At the time, I hadn't been able to identify the cause, so I had pushed it away as nothing important. Now, though, as I thought about what he'd said, I realized that it had been there all along. Was his joyfulness and energetic manner just a mask to keep others from realizing just that?

I looked at him. Really looked at him. At the moment, he was staring at me, mouth slightly open in a probably unconscious gesture of shock and expressive eyes wide. I felt like if I just looked hard enough, I could find all the answers I wanted to know about this strange boy just by looking into those violet orbs.

"Tell me. Please." It was barely more than a whisper and I realized that my frown of frustration had turned to a frown of concern. I'd never asked someone for something like this and I was surprised at myself, though it paled in contrast to my desire to help the boy sitting next to me on the bed.

His hand was still clutching mine and as I waited for his reply, I felt my eyes drawn to where they rested on the bed covers between us. At some point, mine had turned and was lightly holding his, fingers curled almost hesitantly. A pang of something shot through my chest, leaving me feeling confused. Never in my life had I felt these emotions and I…I didn't know what to do with them. Did I accept them? Or did I just ignore them and hope they'd stay away? Could I do that without knowing what they were?

"Everyone I've ever cared about is dead, Heero." The anguish in Duo's voice brought my head back up quickly. He was staring off into space, at something only he could see. "I'm not a good kid. I did drugs, ran with a gang, swore my way up and down the country, killed my fair share of people, sold anything and everything I could, including myself. I've got a warrant on my head in more states than not, seen the inside of holding cells more times than I want to remember, never gave a damn about anyone but myself."

He paused and I desperately tried to recalibrate my image of him, taking in this new information he'd given me. Then he swallowed and continued and I listened again.

"These past few months have been great. Really, they have. Staying in one place, safe from the boys in blue, getting a formal education, meeting you guys. Sometimes it felt almost as if my past never happened, that I could be a normal kid. Well, as normal as I could be, considering."

There was the barest hint of a smile on his lips and I let myself have a bit of hope that he would be fine after all this. I wasn't sure that the group would be able to go back to how we were before he arrived if he wasn't there.

Then he sighed, the smile disappearing completely as he turned to look me straight on. He seemed to be steeling himself to say something. "No one's wanted me since the orphanage burnt down. Cops don't keep me long, the social services haven't tried to find me, gangs won't let me in, no one. The only people who wanted me really only wanted my body. I've lived nearly half my life on my own."

What was he getting at? I wasn't following what he was saying, trying to connect it to what I knew already of him. Something wasn't matching up. Still something missing.

"I guess I've always been weird, an outcast. It's just part of who I am, yanno?" he sighed lightly, turning away again. "But I…"

He hesitated and I had the feeling that this was what was bothering him. "Go on," I encouraged as gently as I could, which was rather difficult due to a lack of practice being gentle. Once more, he steeled himself to say something.

"I've wanted to be somewhere I belong, where I could be myself and liked for _that_, not for what I could do or say." His voice was nearly a whisper and I leaned forward a bit to hear him. "The other's'll hate me when they learn what I am. They always do. They like me well enough until they find out something that disgusts them and then I'm back on the streets. I can't stay. If I do, they'll just make my life a living hell and I'll go crazy. Might even lose control. I _have_ to leave. No one else should die because of me. Maybe I'll just drive off a cliff somewhere. We're in the mountains, right? There's bound to be a cliff around here somewhere that's tall enough." I could think of at least two. "I can hotwire another bike and take that. The media'll be all over it. I can see the headlines now. 'Orphan Attending Prestigious School Commits Suicide on Stolen Motorcycle.' Maybe they'll even do a news coverage on it."

He was becoming hysterical, I realized, watching him rock back and forth a bit as he rambled on. Almost frantically (I was never frantic in any situation, regardless of who was involved) I tried to figure out a way to stop it. Nothing came to mind, so I reluctantly let my natural impulses take over. My instincts would hopefully know what to do to defuse this situation before it blew up.

Violet eyes turned back to me, slightly watery. "You don't have to stay, Yuy." I almost winced at Duo's use of my last name. I'd thought he was past that a while ago. "If I disgust you, you should leave. I don't care."

_Yes, you do_, I thought angrily. _You care more than you're letting yourself realize._ As I looked at him, a single tear escaped and started to roll down his cheek. Before I knew what I was doing, my free hand had come up to wipe it away. Duo looked startled, as if he hadn't realized his eyes had started to fill up. Seemingly embarrassed, he scrubbed at his face furiously, erasing any marks of tears. I took my chance to talk.

"You don't disgust me, Duo." That startled him more than my wiping away his tear had. I couldn't read what his expression was as he stared at me, nonplussed. I continued, willing him to believe me.

"You could never disgust me. You must be very strong, having survived what you did for as long as you have and I—I respect that strength. If no one else has wanted to stand at your side before, then they were fucking idiots and didn't deserve your presence anyway.

"As for the others, they feel much the same. Quatre talks about you as if you've known each other for years instead of just a couple months. Wufei is impressed by the progress you've made in controlling your power; he would never have taught you to read auras if he didn't believe in your ability. Even Trowa genuinely likes you and it took _me_ a little over a year to earn his respect. If you left now, not only would we lose our chance at turning away the evil, we would have lost a friend and comrade.

"Listen to me, Duo. We all have our demons and skeletons in the closet. Maybe I'll tell you about some of mine one day. My point is, no one in the group is going to blame you for something that wasn't your fault to begin with. They will probably understand better than anyone else, in fact. We like you for who you are, or at least for what you've shown us of yourself since you came here. If you would only trust us enough to see that, you wouldn't have to be afraid of being alone forever."

He caved as soon as I said those last words. I suppose I should have expected an emotional reaction, considering who it was, but the way he reacted caught me off guard. My hand was abandoned as he flung both arms around me, sobbing as he scooted closer and buried his face in the hollow between my shoulder and my jaw.

Unsure of how to respond, I did nothing for a few seconds before slowly wrapping my arms around him, watching for any reaction to tell me if I was doing anything wrong. Receiving no signal telling me to stop, I grew bolder, moving my hand in small circles on his back in an attempt to comfort him.

It must have worked, because he eventually stopped sobbing, though his breathing was still ragged. He didn't move away, though, and I found myself not wanting him to. We sat in relative silence for a while and I let my mind wander a bit, most of my attention focused on the warm form I still held.

At some point, something occurred to me and I pulled away just enough so that I could look down into Duo's eyes. "Hey, Duo?" I asked softly. He blinked and glanced up at me in a silent response. "That first day…when you went too deep in the trance. What did you see?"

Duo returned to his position leaning against me and I was starting to think he wouldn't answer when I heard him draw in a deep breath. "I'll tell you if you tell me what your power looks like to you," he said just as softly. I could feel his breath, warm against my skin, as he spoke.

"Okay." I guess the trust thing goes both ways. I would have to trust him if he as going to trust me. "Do you want to go first?"

He shook his head against me and I sighed lightly, trying to find the words to describe what I saw when I looked at my center.

"What I see of my power is rather...dull, I guess," I started slowly, closing my eyes and reaching for my power, giving myself something to go off of. "The only thing I can think of to describe it is the arctic tundra. Flat, lifeless and endless. Barren and cold. A cloudless sky. Treacherous and full of guile. Steadfast and solid. Giving away nothing yet taking everything in."

There was no response for a long moment. "The image I'm getting rather reminds me of you when we first met." I blinked my eyes open; that had been unexpected.

"Oh? How's that?" I was curious to know why Duo thought I was like an arctic tundra. He lifted his head to look at me, expression serious.

"For a while, you were always cold and distant, as if everyone else was inferior. You never let any emotion except anger and irritation show through at all and those rarely. It was like your heart had been frozen and was no longer capable of feeling anything. Or maybe you were just afraid to get too close to anyone…" he trailed off and seemed to withdraw into himself, looking thoughtful.

Reluctantly, I drew his attention back. "What about you?" I asked, catching and holding his gaze. He bit his lip before starting to speak hesitantly.

"Imagine the darkest shadow possible. Then make it ten times darker. Add in something writhing as if alive that is just barely visible, almost on the edge of invisibility. Sparks of crimson appearing and disappearing randomly. Whispers that turn into screams and curses. A terrible darkness just waiting to swallow you whole…" He shivered and I tightened my hold on him before I realized what I was doing. I didn't ease up, though.

"Heero?" Duo's voice was small and unsure.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean it? Do you really think they won't hate me?" I sighed and used one hand to tilt his head so I could look at him straight on.

"Yes, Duo, I meant it. Are you willing to trust us?" This was the important part. If he wasn't willing to try, it was the same as being defeated in the long run.

Several emotions and concepts flitted through those violet eyes, so close right now. Finally, though, Duo smiled, a gentler version of his usual wide grin. I suddenly wanted to tell him how much better this one was compared to the usual one, how much more true. I got as far as opening my mouth.

I had no time to react as Duo closed the distance between us, erasing it completely as he pressed his lips to mine. My mind went blank for a moment before I realized what he had done, was doing.

I was being kissed by Duo.

* * *

A/N: This chapter has been so...grr. I started it intending to go one direction, but it pulled a U-turn on me and went off on a tangent. Still, it turned out okay, so I guess I'm happy with it. POC is a little ticked that I saddled her with that little cliffhanger, but it just seemed like a good place to end the chapter. Hope to hear from...well, somebody...

Haliaetus


	8. Could You Repeat That?

Title: Collide Heero's POV

Warnings: Angst-ish, slight Heero OOC…not much else…

A/N: Uhmm…sorry it took so long to get this out…I had a hard time concentrating when I tried to sit down and do it, but it finally came out. Sigh. Hope you guys still enjoy it, tho'…

Chapter 7: Could You Repeat That?

I think I blanked out for a few moments. All I could remember was the feel of Duo's lips pressed against mine in an almost desperate gesture and then that sensation was gone and I was hearing Quatre's voice from somewhere behind me gasping something out.

By the time I managed to get myself under control and tune back into the world around me, Duo was gone; the light leaking out from under the closed bathroom door and the sight of Quatre talking to it in an urgent tone betrayed his hiding spot.

Trowa and Wufei were standing in the doorway, looking very much confused and I had to admit that the whole thing looked rather odd. Me, sitting on Duo's bed with a dumbstruck expression and Quatre pleading with the door. A tray of food was sitting on the ground next to the occupied doorway and I realized the blond Arab must have made good on his promise to get me some lunch.

Seeing that I was back in the here and now, Wufei stepped forward, followed rather closely by Trowa.

"Yuy, what the hell happened in here? Why is Maxwell in the bathroom with Quatre trying to get him out and why are you sitting on his bed looking like you've seen a ghost?" The words and tone were normal and I used them to ground myself some more, regaining control before I tried to answer.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely certain," I told him after a moment. I could tell he wanted more, but I couldn't give him that. Quatre could, though, I realized as he turned away from the obstinately shut door he'd been talking to. He didn't look particularly happy with me, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.

"What the _hell_ was that, Heero?" I blinked stupidly at him; it was the first time I'd ever heard him swear. "I leave for barely two hours and come back to find you two lip-locked and then Duo hides in the bathroom?! I think I deserve an explanation here!"

Wufei and Trowa were also looking at me with something akin to horror as part of the full import hit them. I sighed and closed my eyes, willing it all to simply be a bad dream and that it would go away when I woke up. They were still there when I opened my eyes again, though, so I had to assume my wish had gone unanswered. Not that I had really expected anything else.

"What do you want to know?" I asked wearily, feeling tired for an unknown reason. A headache was starting to build up from the stress of the previous evening and the earlier discussion with Duo, not to mention what had happened after. Quatre seemed to realize that I wasn't in the best of moods to be interrogated on something that wasn't my fault and his expression softened a bit, though I could tell he remained angry at me for some reason.

"How about you start at the beginning?" Wufei suggested, taking a seat on my bed. Trowa nodded his agreement and leaned up against the wall, leaving Quatre standing in the middle of the room, arms firmly crossed.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to slip into a state of detachment, hoping to impart the story without the new emotions I was experiencing showing through. I think I succeeded for the most part, keeping my description of what had happened to an almost clinically dry account. That is, until I got to the part where Duo had broken down. My voice cracked and I had to stop for a moment to regain my calm before continuing.

As I talked, I looked from one of my friends to the other, trying to gauge their reactions. The more he heard, the more Quatre's face left its enraged expression and accepted a look of almost pitying sadness. Wufei simply looked astounded and Trowa was hard pressed to keep his face in its usual stoic expression.

"..Then," I said, fighting again to keep my voice even and unemotional, "then he asked me if I really thought you guys wouldn't hate him. I said yes and he smiled, but it wasn't his usual manic grin." I looked imploringly at Quatre, begging him to understand what I couldn't express with words. "It was…softer, more real. I was going to tell him so, but then he leaned forward and…"

"And then he kissed you," Quatre finished. I nodded, my eyes sliding past the blond to the bathroom door which had remained closed the whole time. Hearing someone sigh, I turned back to my friends, wondering how they would take the news.

"Well, Yuy, you've certainly gotten yourself into a mess this time," Wufei said before Quatre could expound upon his sigh. I scowled at him.

"What do you mean?" I demanded. Didn't he understand that I had had no control over anything that had happened? Duo was the one who had done everything.

"You don't know the other half of the story," Quatre elaborated cryptically. Switching my attention to him, I continued to scowl, seeking refuge behind the familiar mask.

Suddenly looking tired, Quatre joined me where I sat on Duo's bed. His hands started to worry at the cover and he spoke without looking at me.

"I'm…not at liberty to tell you all I think you ought to know, but I will tell you one thing." He looked at me, then, as if trying to impress upon me the seriousness of what he was going to say. To be perfectly honest, I thought I was already pretty serious about the situation and just wished he would get on with whatever he was going to say. He had my attention; he should do something about it while I was still a bit shell-shocked from the…from earlier.

"You know I have a sort of…empathy, right?" I nodded, a bit confused at this apparent non sequiter. During our yearly get-togethers with the scientists and each other, we'd told each other quite a bit about our individual powers and training, so I knew all about Quatre's ability to 'feel' other's emotions.

"Well, I'm just going to say that what I'm seeing from you two and what I'm feeling are two very different things and I think you should get that figured out sooner rather than later." He said the sentence in a rush, as if wanting to get it out as soon as possible. Apparently not wanting to say anything more on the subject, he cast a pleading look at Wufei and Trowa that none of us failed to miss. Wufei was the one who stepped up to the plate next, though.

"We, ah, _do_ have an evaluation to prepare for on Monday," he said, clearly a bit uncomfortable about where the conversation had gone and just as eager to change the topic. I nodded, perfectly willing to put this off until we'd all been able to get some distance from it and view it a bit more dispassionately.

Standing, I indicated the door. "We do. Should we do it in your room, then?" I knew he had a single room, so we wouldn't disturb anyone and we could get out of here in the meantime. He nodded in return and led the way out of the room. Trowa and Quatre were right behind us, though they went the opposite direction to Trowa's room.

Wufei's room was at the far end of the hall and I hadn't been there in the whole time we had been at the academy. It seemed like his personal haven and that was something I respected and didn't want to disturb. Somehow, I wasn't surprised to find it rather sparse and orderly.

We got straight to work and I lost track of how much time had passed until I happened to glance up at the small analog clock Wufei had on the bedside table. A full four hours. It was almost dinner time. Mutually agreeing to save the rest for tomorrow, we got ready to head downstairs for the communal meal.

On our way, I popped my head into my room to see if Duo was out of the bathroom yet. He was, but he wasn't in the room at all. It was only a small consolation to see the window tightly shut and locked, just as I had left it. Hoping that maybe he'd just gone somewhere to avoid the rest of us for a while and would be at dinner, I rejoined Wufei and we walked into the dining hall together.

Finding Quatre and Trowa already seated, but no sign of Duo, I started to get a little worried. Duo had never missed a meal before and I wasn't sure what to make of it happening now. Granted, I wasn't looking forward to talking to him about what had happened, but he wasn't _here_. That messed with my mind more ways than I could have imagined.

I'm afraid I wasn't very good dinner company that evening and I kept catching Quatre glancing at me and wincing, rubbing at his chest in the general region of his heart. He must be picking up empathic waves from me and they were hurting him. Feeling slightly guilty, I tried harder to shove my worry and fear into the box I'd created specially for them several years ago and enjoy dinner. It didn't stop me from returning to my room as soon as I could, though.

I wasn't aware that some small part of me had been hopeful that Duo had returned during dinner until I felt the disappointment of its passing. Glancing over the empty room in a futile gesture, I went through the motions of getting ready for sleep, going so far as to turn out the light and crawl under the covers.

The lack of light and comforting warmth of the blankets did nothing to lull me to sleep, though. Turning over for the fifth time in the last minute, my gaze happened to fall on the empty bed across the room. The bed that had been filled with a living presence for the past several months.

Had I gotten so used to sleeping with someone else in the room that their absence was so poignantly obvious? I scowled into the darkness and tried everything I could think of to fall asleep, to no avail.

It was somewhere around midnight—I couldn't see the analog clock in the night gloom—when I heard the barest scuffle of feet on the floor outside the room. Sitting up, as wide awake as I had been hours before, I watched the door anxiously, not quite letting myself label what I was feeling as hope.

The door opened slowly and I had a sudden rush of trepidation that it wasn't Duo, but someone else. My doubt was banished, though, the next minute as his form was clearly outlined against the dim light of the hallway in the short moment the door was open. It didn't stop me from tensing slightly with a fear of how he might react, though I knew it wouldn't be too bad, since he _had_ returned…

"Duo…?"

It wasn't until I heard it that I realized I had said it and it took another few seconds to realize that it had been his first name, which I belatedly realized I had been using since he'd woken up earlier. Glad that the darkness hid whatever embarrassment would have shown in better lighting, I watched the shadowed form for any sign of hesitation.

Duo jumped slightly at the sound of my voice, as if he hadn't been expecting me to be awake this late. Relaxing the next instant, he dropped something on the floor and moved towards his own bed, still silent. I waited as he pulled off the majority of his clothes and crawled under the covers, wondering if he was going to answer.

"I'm sorry…" His voice was barely more than a whisper and I had to strain to hear him. Somehow, though, I knew he was apologizing for more than just running away. More than the…the kiss. It sounded to me as if he was apologizing for everything that he had done since he had arrived.

I snorted, an image rising unbidden of Wufei's reaction to an apology for the large number of times that Duo had pulled a fast one on him in Specials. Then I felt the wide-eyed regard from Duo's side of the room and I smiled slightly, knowing he couldn't see it.

"Apology accepted, though it was hardly warranted." I replied, just as softly. "The others will be glad to know you are back. Go to sleep, you'll need it tomorrow when we go over what we're going to do for the evaluation in Specials on Monday."

Laying back down, I rolled onto my side, facing away from Duo. He didn't need to know that I was just as glad as the others would be, simply knowing he had chosen to come back. And I knew that I wasn't capable of showing it, regardless of what I felt, thanks in part to the training I'd been submitted to for most of my life in addition to the almost isolation before that. In fact, I couldn't remember having ever smiled before coming to the Institution, before Duo.

If I hadn't already been wide awake, that thought would have done the job. Was it Duo that had brought about this change in my behavior? He was most certainly part of the reason—hell, this whole thing was part of the reason—but was he actually at the center of it?

Violet eyes dancing with mirth as he watched the effects of one prank after the other, bright smile laughing at Wufei's sputtering indignation, a brotherly hand messing up Quatre's hair in a shared moment of happiness…

I growled silently to myself and rolled over again, facing Duo this time. Not only was he a constant plague in the daylight, now he invaded the nighttime, keeping sleep at bay with thoughts of him. Everything just seemed to revolve around him, no matter how hard I tried to think of something else. Even when I tried to fall back on the age-old tradition of counting sheep, I could hear his voice, laughing as it asked me why the sheep all had braids.

The alarm woke me the next morning, jerking me forcefully from a dream that had involved sheep, blankets and Doctor G. I blinked at the source of the repeated klaxon, slightly disoriented, before hitting it with enough force to knock it to the floor. I winced at the loud sound and glanced over to see if Duo was awake yet.

I was surprised to see that his bed was not only empty, but made up neatly. Wondering if the previous night hadn't been a dream and he hadn't returned, I swung out of bed, picking the now silent alarm clock up off the floor as I did so and glancing at its face. When the time registered, though, I nearly dropped it again.

It was nearly noon.

I never slept past 8:30 on any given day. The clock was telling me that it was a full two and a half hours past that. Looking again at Duo's neat bed, I wondered if he had reset the alarm clock or if it had been one of the others. At that point, however, I probably would have believed it if someone had told me that little fairies had done it, I was that shaken by the fact that I had been so exhausted to have slept through a time that I hadn't failed to wake up at for the past four years.

Deciding finally that I should get my rear in gear, I got dressed and cleaned up on automatic, wondering what the others were going to think about my late appearance. It was in a daze that I headed out to find the others.


End file.
